Drink Of Life
by Herbblade
Summary: One shop, one school year, and one huge migraine known as boys and gossip. Thank God for coffee and good friends. "Pass me a latte will ya?" "I can't, this one's mine and I'm not getting up to get you one." Or maybe just for coffee. AU. NejiTen,NaruHina.
1. Chapter 1

**Me:** So here's my new story which will hopefully exceed my others…

**Gaara appears, dressed in panda suit.**

**Gaara: **Why do I have to wear this thing?

**Me:** Because! Now say it!! PLEASE??

**Gaara:** Fine… The person known as Herbblade(Gwen) doesn't own ANYTHING. Except the plot. And the things you need to know about the plot are…

**Me:** This is AU. The girls are all in high school, ages given below. Because I said they could, they have opened a coffee shop/bakery that they all work at. Pairings will be NejiTen and NaruHina. Others can be voted on/suggested. I make no promises but you can try.

**Gaara:** Now read the stupid story while I go try and get out of this costume…

--

Tenten dashed behind the counter of the coffee shop and nearly attacked her sugar-ified coffee. The brunette's hair was messy, almost falling out of its customary twin buns and her attitude towards the coffee hinted that she was both worn out and boiling mad. Her brown eyes were hidden beneath her bangs as she bent forward, making her mood hard to guess.

Yamanaka Ino sweatdropped. The blonde seventeen year old shook her head at her friend's weird behavior and turned to her best friend and rival in all things, Haruno Sakura. "We go to all the trouble of covering for her and making her a coffee and then she gets here- LATE- and what thanks do we get? None. Some friend."

Sakura rolled her emerald eyes. "Chill, Ino-pig. Wait for her to finish before you get all mad." She pushed a strand of pink hair behind her ear and went up to take a customer's order.

By this time Tenten had finished more than half her coffee and was paying attention to the conversation. She still didn't offer an explanation. Hyuga Hinata, the fourth employee at Kunoichi Coffee & Bakery and the shyest of the four friends, was prodding Tenten for information. "Ten-chan, please tell us what happened. You're _never_ late and you seem so upset…" She poked her fingers together in an old habit and Ino pushed them down.

"Don't do that Hina-chan. And yeah Tennie-chan, tell us!"

Tenten looked up and didn't respond to either "Tennie-chan" or the questions about her lateness. She just said in a manner that betrayed bitterness and anger, "All men are selfish, stuck up idiots."

Ino leaned forward and started lecturing. "Tennie-chan! You'll NEVER get a date THAT way!"

Sakura nodded as she made a latte for the newest customer. "What's with the sudden change in attitude anyway, Ten-chan? We know you don't really _like_ anyone, but you've never been this weird about it before. Hey, Hina-chan, get one of the sugar cookies out, will ya?"

Hinata went to the cookies area and took out a warm sugar cookie and handed it to the customer, who went to a table. It was a Friday, about four thirty. During the summer weekdays the bakery was only open from four to nine. Tenten was a half hour late.

Tenten looked at her friends and sighed. "Sorry about being late, thanks for the coffee. I got held up at karate."

Hinata prompted her again. "Why?"

Ino sometimes marveled at what her and Sakura's shop had done to the two girls.

Tenten had been a loner. She'd been a tough girl who hadn't needed or wanted anyone around her, the result of constantly changing foster parents. She had applied for a job at Kunoichi because it was close by and she wanted free coffee. The fact that two of her classmates had started the bakery almost made it _less_ appealing, but she needed the job.

Hinata had been pretty much friendless as well but for different reasons. Poor girl could barely speak loud enough to get anyone's attention. She had managed to stammer out a request for a job application and had been given the job because, as Sakura put it: she'd take difficult customers without much fuss and, with a little training, would be able to stand her ground. They'd found out later that her father had forced her into trying to get a job so she wouldn't _seem_ like such a disappointment.

Now they were best friends, Hinata keeping Tenten attached to the earth and Tenten helping Hinata gain some backbone. Ino and Sakura helped with both, but the opposite thing had really worked out for the two.

What they called the worker's rush started coming in, adults and teens begging for caffeine and sugar, so they didn't have a chance to probe Tenten into talking.

Ino and Sakura's eyes met over the latte machine and they silently agreed: _End of the day and she'll talk._

--

The four girls sat around one of their own tables. It was a little after nine and they had closed. So they were working on summer homework, gifts from the teachers they would see again this 

year; stupid Leaf High system… The three juniors worked together while Tenten plowed through it alone, sometimes asking Sakura about science. School was starting the next Monday: the thought was enough to make all four of them sigh sadly.

Tenten closed the heavy tome with a thud and dropped it unlovingly into her bag. "Being a senior might have its perks but I really hate the work… And I hate pre-senior summer homework most of all…"

"But you shouldn't have to take as many classes, right?" Hinata looked a little scared: she thought senior year was time to kick back.

Tenten shrugged. "Yeah, but if you want to do anything special, you take AP classes, and stuff you've wanted to do, and things to give you better background knowledge for," She shuddered, "Collage." Hinata nodded mutely.

Tenten took a swig of coffee as Sakura dropped her books and papers into her own bags and suddenly they were all done.

Hinata pushed her thumb and finger together, her absent make-up-habit for the old finger trick. "My cousin is coming to our school this year. He's been at private school but it got overcrowded so my father volunteered him to come back. He's your age Ten-chan."

Ino perked up. "Is he cute?" Hinata promptly turned scarlet so Ino changed the subject, "Why did he go to private school and not you, Hina-chan?"

"Sch-Scholarship." They all nodded.

Sakura broke the tension that was slowly coming down with a remark they all would have typically suspected of Ino, "Well maybe he'll be the one to change Tennie's mind about men! What?" Tenten was glaring daggers at her and Hinata looked faint.

"No, not Neji-nii-san! He's much too cold, he'd never… If it would not be insulting our main branch to say so, I think my father would wish he could switch Neji-nii for me. He's a genius."

"And so are you Hinata!" Tenten shifted her glare to Hinata, her tone and expression demanding she have some self-confidence. "Anyone who says you aren't is a liar and an idiot; I don't care how they're related to you." The older girl crossed her arms and ended the conversation with that.

While Hinata recovered, Ino moved the topic on. "Tennie-chan… Tell us right now why you were so late and mad!"

Tenten shook her head. "Well I was late anyway, but there was a new guy who tried challenging Lee (you know Lee he's the guy with the weird hair and the huge crush on Saki-chan?), and he won too. But then he started giving Lee crap about losers and winners and destiny and I snapped." Hinata gasped and Tenten gave her a dry smile. "I told him he was a self-absorbed jerk and helped Lee up. Poor guy, Lee I mean, he wasn't even smiling for once. He wasn't hurt beyond bruises but he looked so sad. And you know Lee: he never looks sad." She sighed and leaned back in her chair, looking mad just at the memory. **(AN: Guess who that guy was, I dare you.)**

Once again there was silence, and this time it lasted about five minutes until Ino asked coyly, "So, Hina-chan… Do you think your cousin knows any other guys who are transferring? How about any cute ones?"

--

Hinata walked into the mansion at about 9:45 that night, her summer homework finally done and her mood improved from her friends' joking. But her mood wasn't destined to stay up forever. She had just hung her bag in the _appropriate_ place when there was a cough and she looked up to see her cousin, Hyuga Neji. "Oh, hello, Nii-san. How are you?"

"Hn." She had never understood that reply. What did it even mean? Hinata had sworn to herself a long time ago that she would never date anyone who couldn't speak it complete sentences during a civil conversation. Much as she admired her cousin, she didn't think she could stand it. He did manage to carry on though, "Where have you been? I thought your shift ended at nine and it's nearly ten. And don't you have work tomorrow too?" His white eyes narrowed and Hinata blinked her slightly more purple (but still almost exactly the same) eyes in confusion.

"We-we worked on our summer work… And how do you know my schedule Neji-nii?"

He grunted, which Hinata took to mean that he wasn't sharing his sources.

Hinata wanted to ask him if he had been Tenten's oh-so-evil-guy, but she held back. She almost didn't want to know, because if he was she'd have to tell Tenten her cousin was the mystery jerk.

So she walked past him with her head down and when she reached her room she lay on the bed with her face buried in the pillow. _Why do I have to be so shy around Neji and my father? I'm not around Hanabi… And definitely not around my friends. So why do I clam up in front of the people who think the worst of me?_ She groaned into the pillow, letting out her annoyance with her own automatic reactions.

_Next time I talk with them I will act just like Tenten-chan. Well, not quite, but I will be like Sakura-chan. Yes, that's it. Polite but firm. I won't take no for an answer and I'll make my friends proud._

--

**Me:** Well there you go. Nearly four pages without this or the note at the top… 1571 words to be precise… Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

**Gaarastill in panda suit:** (in bored/pretend dramatic voice) What will happen at school? Or even over the weekend? Will Neji (slight stalker that he is) come to Kunoichi Coffee? DOES Neji have any friends transferring?? How long will Hina-chan's vow last??

**Me:** Answers: Next time on Drink of Life!

**Gaara:** Gwen-sama really appreciates reviews: they act like caffeine for her imagination. And the more reviews she gets the less I have to wear this panda costume… Liberate your Kazekage!! REVIEW!!


	2. Chapter 2

Me: So here's the new chappie…

Gaara: Herbblade owns nothing. She had to rent this stupid suit and kidnap me… She might let me out of the suit though, since we have an awesome new beta reader, StrongerThanISeem, and so many people Story Alerted/reviewed the first chappie.

Me: Just read.

--

Hinata woke up early. Tenten and Ino were opening today but she still had to be in around eight. She showered and put on her clothes, a plain lilac T-shirt and black shorts. Her dark purple hair was just past her shoulders, and she brushed it out while walking to the kitchen. She was surprised to see the cook had put a plate with eggs and toast on the counter. One of the maids had left a note.

_Hinata-sama-_

_Please enjoy this food as a thank you for helping me with the dishes yesterday morning. Best of luck today,_

_Kichi_

Hinata blinked. She usually helped the servants and even the branch members do their work, it took her mind off other things and made her feel better about being waited on. She smiled and started eating the food. She was about to leave when Neji came in.

He walked over to the bread and grabbed two pieces, dropping them in the toaster. Hinata bit her bottom lip before she remembered her vow the night before. Making sure not to stutter, she said in a cheery voice, "Good morning Neji-nii!"

He looked up, puzzled, before replying his typical reply.

Hinata bit her lip again and decided she could leave; she was just about on time anyway. "Well, um," She winced slightly and made her tone more confident, "I've got to go to work, see you Nii-san!"

And she escaped, proud of herself and leaving a very confused Neji.

--

Tenten pulled a tray of muffins out of the oven and set them on the cooling rack. Ino was quickly making coffee and shouting orders back to Tenten. They had a medium-sized line already, and it was only eight thirty. Ino took another order and went to grab the muffins 

herself, letting Tenten take a turn at the counter. "Where are Hinata and Sakura, they should be here by now!"

"Well when you tell me SIX O CLOCK SHARP and them around eight-ish, you should expect them to be a little late. Not that I don't wish they were on time." Tenten added the last bit hastily as Ino glared at her.

Just as they had gone back to serving customers, a spot of pink and a spot of dark purple came bobbing through the crowd. Sakura dropped her stuff under the counter and smiled. "Hey, we got here at the same time isn't that weird? Whoa, what's wrong with Ino-pig?"

Hinata slipped past Ino's shouted lecture on being on time and not calling her pig and went to help Tenten. "Morning Ten-chan."

"Hi Hinata. How long do you think those two'll go at it?"

Hinata looked back at the fighting girls and shrugged. "I hope not too long…"

Sakura decided to end the fight there and pointed out to Ino that the shouting match was making them look unprofessional and making Hinata and Tenten do all the work. They glared at each other but started working.

Hinata took orders (Ino said it gave her good practice at yelling), Sakura started baking, Tenten made coffees, and Ino supervised and put it all together onto a tray. Hinata was waiting for a latte and got impatient on behalf of the customer, turning around and shouting, "Tenten-chan! Ino-chan! Where's the latte??"

Ino dashed up and handed it over the counter to the customer before dashing back to help Sakura. Hinata was taking the first customers money when another customer started trying to make an order.

After about an hour of chaos, the line started to shrink a little. They all traded jobs, Tenten taking orders, Hinata baking, Sakura supervising and Ino making the drinks. Tenten finished ringing up a customer and knew another one was there, so she automatically said without looking, "Welcome to Kunoichi Coffee, what can we get you?"

Her habit was to look at customers but Ino was taking up half the space by the cash register, trying to find the screwdriver for who-knows-what and Tenten was trying to help her and get her out of the way at the same time.

"I'm here to see Hyuga Hinata." Tenten looked up and her eyes widened.

"You!" She pointed at him angrily.

Neji's eyes did the opposite, narrowing suspiciously. "You're that girl."

Tenten shoved Ino out of the way just as she found the screwdriver, going over to Hinata. "Hyuga Hinata! Who is THAT? And WHY does he know you??"

Hinata groaned, she didn't even need to look over to know who it was, but she looked anyway. She didn't answer Tenten's questions, just went to the counter. "H-Hello Neji-nii… What are you doing here?"

"HE'S YOUR BROTHER??" Hinata was glad there weren't very many customers when Neji chose to show up: this was going to take a while. And Tenten's shout had gotten Sakura and Ino's attention as well.

"Hina-chan has a brother? Since when?" Sakura came over, looking curious. Ino merely looked between Hinata and Neji and Tenten, trying to figure it out.

Neji spoke for the first time since the four girls had come over. "Hinata-sama, who is this person here? And the other two? And why are all of them so _loud?_"

Poor Hinata. She took a deep breath and started making introductions, knowing Ino would pick up on any nervousness, so she tried shoving it out of the way. "This is Hyuga Neji, my cousin. Nii-san, these are my friends: Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino and Tenten." She bit her lip again, waiting for more explosions.

Tenten managed to say it in a calm-ish tone. "So Hina-chan's cousin is Lee's torturer? I must say Hina-chan, your family seems worse every time I meet one of them. Not including Hanabi, she's alright." Her brown eyes were flashing but she held her anger in. "Would you like anything sir, or shall we just leave you to talk with your cousin?" The other three stared. Tenten was getting much better at anger management.

Neji shrugged. "You may leave." This time Sakura's eyes flashed. He was treating them like _peasants_. But Ino grabbed her arm and took her to inspect the storeroom. Tenten went and took out the latest batch of cookies. Hinata poked her fingers together before putting them down and looking up at Neji. He was staring at the wall with an air of disgust. "Interesting friends Hinata-sama. They don't seem to know their place."

"Th-They're making their own place Nii-san. They're all very brave and smart."

He raised an eyebrow. "Brave I suppose we can agree on, but smart? I don't think so. Foolish comes to mind instead."

Hinata shoved her shyness out of the way, he wasn't just insulting her anymore, he was going after her friends. "They are smart! They don't just sit around all day moping about destiny! 

They try to change things on their own, especially Ten-chan! She told me what you did to Lee-san, and that was not right Nii-san." She looked down and was shocked to see instead of poking together, her fingers had balled into fists.

Neji glared at her, but she was too distracted to notice. Sakura came and ended the unpleasant conversation. "Hina-chan, Ino-pig wants you to help her take stock. You know how bad she is with stuff like that. I'm sorry Neji-san, it's been a pleasure to meet you, but Hinata has work to do." She smiled pleasantly and Neji stalked off, the bell over the door _ding_ing as he left.

Hinata sighed in relief as Sakura pulled her to the storeroom.

--

Me: 1,255 words without either author's note. Yay!

Gaara: I'm out of the suit!! She gave me panda ears instead, but these are much less embarrassing. If you don't want me put through other kinds of tortures, I suggest reviewing…

Me: Next time on Drink Of Life: The weekend ends and with it, summer vacation. Hinata tries even harder to better herself while Tenten deals with her own personal jerk, AKA Hyuga Neji. And what about the other new students??

Gaara: Oh how will we live without knowing?

Me: Be quiet or you'll go back in the suit.


	3. Chapter 3

Neji looked at the circle of boys on the floor in his room. If expressions were colors, he would have had a rainbow on his floor just from the five faces. He opened his mouth to stop Naruto's ramblings when a shriek cut through the air. Loud, quick footsteps passed the door a few times, accompanied by muttered cursing.

Neji's eyes widened, and he didn't know if it was the screaming and running or the cursing. Sasuke snorted as Neji jumped up and threw the door open. "Hinata-sama! What's wrong?"

Hinata stopped in the process of brushing her hair, a bit of toothpaste on her cheek. She had a pale purple tank top and plaid (purple and white) Bermuda shorts on. She didn't even notice the group of boys staring at her. "Neji-nii-san! I'm really late, I'm supposed to open today! Tell Father I went to work and keep Hanabi out of the chocolate cereal! Bye!"

And she dashed off, throwing her brush into her room as she passed the open door.

Neji stared and slowly closed the door before moving back to his spot on the floor. Sasuke snorted again. "Who was that Hyuuga? She seemed awfully comfortable with you."

Shikamaru looked up from his nap. "She had the same white eyes as Neji, Sasuke. Don't jump to weird conclusions."

"Hinata-sama is my cousin and she's usually less 'comfortable' with me, except she was, obviously, running late." The group fell back into silence, quickly filled as Naruto continued on his rant about a squirrel that had jumped on him.

--

Hinata burst into the shop and Tenten grinned. She was wearing brown shorts as usual and a pink Flower Power T-shirt. "Way to show up on time Hina-chan." Hinata paled even more, making her light complexion turn nearly white and Tenten quickly stood up from her spot near the oven, waving her hands in the air. "Calm down Hina-chan! I was joking! I got the tables all wiped down and the cookies started, you just have to help me with the counters and the other stuff and I won't tell Saki-chan or Ino-chan."

Hinata visibly relaxed. "Thank you Tenten-chan. I slept in and Neji-nii-san had some friends over so he shut my back-up alarm off."

Tenten snorted but didn't say anything. Hinata gave a small smile and went to wash the counters down.

--

**The Next Day, Also Known as the First Day of School:**

Sakura bounced as she waited outside the school with Hinata. "Ino-pig is probably throwing a shoe at Tenten's window right now."

Hinata smiled at the image. "Or Tenten is throwing one at Ino's window: you know Ino-chan cares about her shoes too much."

They laughed at the relationship between their two louder friends and waited a few more minutes before Ino and Tenten showed up, both looked winded. Ino brushed off her shorts distractedly, her purple bag falling down her arm. "So, are we ready for school?"

Tenten groaned. "No! I wish it was still summer… Now it's going to get colder but we'll barely notice because we'll all be inside doing stupid math problems!"

Sakura laughed and grabbed Tenten's arm. "Come on; face your fear of math. Besides, Kakashi's one of the better teachers." They all nodded grimly.

Ino shook her head as if to banish the memory of teachers and math. "Come on, let's go look at everyone else coming in. We've got to watch all of those new people from the private school flounder in the sea of public schools."

Sakura gaped comically. "You've been paying attention in English!"

Ino hit her lightly and the four went in to the building. Hinata pointed quickly, "There's Neji-nii-san. And those are the friends he had at our house yesterday. And a few more of them…" She sighed.

Tenten wrinkled her nose. "There seem to be a few of them who are girls, and I don't think they're welcome. Is your cousin that popular despite his stalker-ish, cold personality?" She shook her head and threw the group a disgusted look before Sakura forced the group to move into the building to get their schedules.

Ino rattled their names off to the secretary and handed out the fateful pieces of paper. Tenten skimmed hers, feeling OK about it. She had chosen all of the classes so she couldn't really complain. Sakura had math and science with her, little genius. Ino had made them all take Home Ec. and Culinary I last year, so now they were all in Culinary II in the same period. And she had PE with Hinata and Debate with Ino.

That would be interesting. Other than that the classes were pretty varied, Tenten wasn't paying much attention.

They split up to go to lockers and first classes (which were all separate, to Hinata's dismay).

--

Me: 804 words…

Gaara: That was rather pathetic.

Me: Shut up!! Do you want to go back into the panda suit? Or the bunny suit?

Gaara: …Never mind.

Me: Sorry for shortness, but it was this or another couple days to write out more. I'm hoping to get the next one up soon, but my teachers have decided that this is a good time for essays and projects, so it might take a little longer.

Gaara: Review. Just do it.


	4. Chapter 4

Hinata slid into her seat and looked around quickly before looking at her desk. First period, on her first day of school as a junior… It was enough to knock all of Ino, Tenten and Sakura's "coaching" out of her head and make her want to run for the hills. Or at least to the bathroom, she was feeling woozy…

A loud voice nearly knocked her out of her seat, "Hey! Can I sit here?" A blonde boy pointed at the desk next to her. Hinata shook her head quickly. "Cool, thanks! Hey!" He leaned in, looking her straight in the eyes. Hinata felt her breath catch in her throat; his eyes were so _blue_, so perfectly blue… Like the sky in summer…

Once again, his voice interrupted her thoughts. "I knew it: your eyes! You're Neji's cousin… Hinata, right?" He leaned in even farther, completely oblivious to her space bubble and the other early birds staring at them.

Hinata couldn't even breathe or think or respond. He blinked and leaned back a merciful quarter of an inch. "Are you OK? Your face looks all red… Maybe you're getting the flu! I had that once, it's not fun at all!" He leaned back and seemed relieved when her face started to return to its natural color. He seemed to have another good idea (the first being backing away) and stuck his hand out. "I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto."

Hinata took his hand slowly, "Hyuuga Hinata; pleased to meet you." His customary smile grew even wider.

"Alright, Hinata-chan, we're friends now right? So who's the drama teacher here, what're they like?"

"Well, the teacher is Mitrashi Anko, but she 'lets' us call her Anko-sensei. She's very… tempestuous." Naruto blinked. "Stormy; loud and opinionated."He smirked and nodded.

And of course, at that moment, Mitrashi Anko burst into the room. Her short black hair flew around her face as she slammed the door against the wall. Naruto paled and his head turned with the rest of the class's as they followed their sensei's path across the room to her desk in the front of the room. She dropped her bag next to the desk and sat down. After a minute of organizing things, she looked up and seemed rather pleased by the reaction. "What're you maggots looking at? If you've got enough time to sit and stare you should be able to get out your homework. You should have researched your favorite play and rewritten it to include yourself. New students…" She looked at all the students and Hinata knew she knew exactly who was new and who wasn't. "New students write about your past experience with drama and your favorite play. One paragraph." Her eyes fell back to her desk as paper and pens rustled and moved. Hinata pulled out her report, looking it over once more.

Naruto leaned over again. "Hey," he whispered, "What's your paper on?"

Hinata blushed and looked down before answering, "_Romeo and Juliet_. I'm Juliet's maid. I figured since Romeo had Balthasar… And I always thought someone should have been there to keep Juliet from going insane and pretending to kill herself…" She turned even redder and felt like an idiot for choosing the classic, easy story compared to what someone like Sakura would have done-

"That's cool Hinata-chan! So they don't die in your story? That's really cool, I never liked how they both killed themselves, it seemed so stupid." Naruto rolled his eyes and Hinata smiled. He was so handsome and he obviously didn't quit as easily as the fictional characters she had written about.

Anko sighed and stood up. "Alright maggots! New students will come up and introduce themselves then we'll start on monologues."

--

Tenten looked around and put her head in her hand, sighing. She hated Spanish. AP Spanish was sure to be even worse. But free college credit and a really good thing to put on applications… She had made the obvious choice and now she'd have to sit through another year of Jiriya's Spanish rambling.

_At least he teaches us stuff we can actually USE,_ She thought with a smirk, _like how to ask people out in ways that would get us killed if we used them. We'll never be taken advantage of though._

She looked around again and again her eyes were drawn to the stone-like figure sitting in the front corner. Hyuuga Neji. And again she wondered why things like this always happened to her. At least he was unaware that she was there though…

Tenten waited for the inevitable Neji-turning-around moment but it didn't come. Amazing, her luck actually worked in the normal way! No tricks! She nearly fainted out of relief but managed to keep her consciousness, another plus.

Jiriya came in and started teaching (which always managed to shock her, you'd think he'd avoid it or something) and Tenten focused her attention on trying to remember Spanish and not avoiding the Hyuuga ice-cube.

--

**Lunch:**

"I can't believe we didn't have ANY classes together this morning! Well, except for Hina-chan and Ten-chan's P.E. class." Ino set her lunch tray down and dropped into the seat with an agitated sigh.

Hinata was looking different than usual too, but hers was a day-dreamy sort of difference. The direct result of having her last class, math, with Uzumaki Naruto. "Cheer up Ino-chan, this means we have all of our afternoon classes together, probably." Ino looked closely at Hinata.

Her face changed completely, growing a very devilish and scary smirk. "What's different about you Hina-chan? You're staring off into space; in a good mood; and, dare I say it, glowing with… Love! Who's the guy Hina-chan, huh huh?" Her mood had changed dramatically as she'd said "love." It now resembled a five year old child on a sugar-high.

The other three girls leaned away from her, Hinata flushing furiously. "I'm not it love! Or in like, or anything else!"

Ino sat backed off knowing she wouldn't get a confession from Hinata this soon. It would be obvious enough if she could ever she her near the boy… Hopefully he'd pop up in a class this afternoon.

She gave Sakura a look and Sakura sighed. Another crazy Ino-Quest-of Love. But it was for Hina-chan, so she'd take part. The two new conspirators smirked at each other and Tenten banged her head on the table on their subtlety.

Hinata didn't notice any of this, she was being to thankful Ino had given up, even if it was for a short amount of time.

--

Me: 1091 words!

Gaara: Now if only you could remember how many the others were so you could tell if this was a new record… It's probably not…

Me: Oh thanks a lot! Now tell them!

Gaara: Herbblade-chan does not own ANYTHING. Not Naruto or Romeo or Juliet or even _10 Things I Hate About You_. It's an old movie where she got the word 'tempestuous.' She doesn't own it.

Me: And the other thing…

Gaara: You see that purple button down there? Push that button and tell Herbbade-chan what you think of the chapter and you'll speed the update up by a lot. Reviews make Herbblade-chan work harder, and avoid cliff-hangers like she's been doing recently. And if you want Sakura, Ino, or anyone else to be in a pairing, you'd better hurry up and tell us or it won't happen.

Gaara: Next time on Drink of Life: The rest of the first day of school and beyond. Neji and Tente come to blows while Lee watches confused from the sidelines! And Neji's reaction to Hinata's oh-so-obvious attraction to Naruto!


	5. Chapter 5

**Otaku Nayami: **Thanks for the pairing suggestions! I'm not a big fan of Ino/Chouji, so that probably won't happen, sorry. But thinking about your suggestion gave me a really good idea about ShikaTema, so that'll almost definitely be included!

Thanks to all my other reviewers, you make me feel so loved!

So I actually put some forward planning into this chapter, I had to go back and look at all of the stuff I've put in about scheduling so far and I made Tenten and Hinata's schedules. It's incomplete and I didn't do Ino or Sakura's (laziness), but I did it. My usual conversation with Gaara will happen at the end like usual; I figured I should get you the actual chapter before chattering. Oh and classes are based off what I know about my school's senior/junior classes, which isn't much, but hey.

Enjoy.

--

Tenten put her arm through Hinata's Wizard of Oz style as the four of them headed to Culinary II. "So will this mystery boy be in our next class? I hope he is, it's the only one the four of us could all enjoy seeing you two _together_ in."

Hinata gulped, "I don't think he will be." She didn't see Ino smirk that they had gotten her to confess Mystery Boy existed. But they still had a long way to go; Ino could just imagine the kind of boy Hinata would pick. She was very secretive about her idea of Mr. Right, so what if… What if it was someone just as shy as Hinata? Or worse, someone cold like Neji? They would never get them together! Ino mentally smacked herself for being a pessimist and realized they had reached the Home Ec. room.

They passed Shizune who was reading another obscure book. Sakura had always wondered how Shizune had managed to read so much while teaching and being Tsunade's assistant. The real assistant had quit at the end of last year and, as far as Sakura knew, hadn't been replaced. _Poor Shizune… But if she has time to read _An Introduction to_ Jastrovasticals? Jastrovarsic- Oh, either way…_

Ino chose a table away from the sinks and sat down, dropping her bag and leaning back in her chair in one motion. "I like having this class after lunch. If they serve us something awful, we just make our own food here."

"Like we don't have a kitchen and food at the shop…" Tenten was bored. She didn't know what she wanted to do, and working at Kunoichi Coffee was fun, but it definitely wasn't cooking. She wanted something physical. Maybe she'd be a police officer, if she could get through all of the classes about laws…

Sakura was writing out a word in her notebook, sounding it out and glaring at it as she did. Hinata was looking around the room, and by her relieved but disappointed expression, Ino guessed that her crush wasn't there.

Oh well… Shizune started teaching and the period went by in a series of worksheets and reviews on what not to do with the stoves.

The four split up into pairs, Ino and Hinata to science class, Sakura and Tenten to math. They reached Kakashi's room and braced themselves before opening up the door. Kakashi was sitting at his desk, lounging. He had been forbidden from leaving the room during breaks shorter than half an hour, ensuring he would actually be in his classroom to teach. No one had ever accused Tsunade of being stupid.

--

**The End of the Day: **

Tenten spun her lock around and pulled down on, sighing in relief when it opened. Nothing to make you feel good like remembering your combination on the first day. A flash of green and a rapid spinning noise caught her attention, but she didn't look up. It was only when she heard, "If I do not get my locker to open on the first try, I will run fifty laps around the school and do a hundred finger push-ups before karate tonight."

Tenten looked up. "Lee? Oh cool, our lockers are right next to each other! Now when I borrow your weights I won't have to hunt you down to give them back. And I can make sure you aren't following poor Sakura around this way…" The last part was muttered and Lee didn't pick up on it.

Tenten put her books away and stuffed the stuff she needed into her bag. Lee finished at the same time so they ended up walking out together, Lee talking a mile a minute while Tenten went through her list of signs she'd seen, checking for soccer. Or basketball or any other sport she'd want to join. _A shame I didn't try out for football freshman year. It's too late now; they've practically formed a cult… Which is probably a good reason to be glad I didn't try out._ Her musings were interrupted by a cold voice.

"I should have guessed. You were so easily angered when I insulted the boy, I should have guessed you were dating."

Tenten's head shot up. "Hyuuga…" It was more of a hiss than a word. A warning hiss.

Lee didn't get it, his natural wish to make friends still shining bright, "The youthful flower Tenten and Konoha's Green Beast!? No, that would be out of the question!" He leaned in 

towards Neji and added in a whisper, "Between you and me, the youthful flower can be quite intimidating sometimes. I need a gentler flower, one with a kind smile and desire to help others…" He stared off dreamily, and Neji gave him a repulsed look.

Tenten, however, was fuming. "Think you're so great Hyuuga? Well you're not! Hinata's told us about you, too scared to live up to your own life, putting it all on destiny. I can't believe you beat Lee, did you know he had leukemia as a kid? And now look at him! Best in our dojo, never lets anything get him down. He's still trying to make friends with you, even after you were cruel to him!" She stormed past the pair of them, angry at Lee for fraternizing with the enemy.

She stormed all the way to the shop, where she took it out on innocent tables, cleaning them ruthlessly. When Ino asked her what her problem was, she replied ferociously, "Hyuuga Neji. My problem is Hyuuga Neji." Those were the only words she spoke all day.

Ino kept her away from the customers.

A sandy haired girl with four pigtails came in about an hour in. As she waited for her coffee, Ino and Hinata chatted with her. Her name was Temari, a transfer student from Suna High. "Wow, must be weird being the only new kid not from that private school."

Temari shrugged. "I have two brothers who came as well. Kankuro's a senior this year, with me. He got lucky and was born just before the cutoff date. I was born just after it, so we got put in the same grade. It's good we don't look alike or everyone would think we were twins. Gaara's a sophomore."

Ino sulked. "You guys just missed us! But you and your not-twin-brother are in the same grade as Tennie-chan back there." Then her coffee was done and Temari went to sit down.

Hinata was leaning against the counter as the flow of people mellowed down, drawing plans for a sound system. She'd never heard why they didn't already have one, but Ino had been obsessed with the idea lately. She heard Ino cough and looked up to see a group of boys coming in. There were about six boys, all with dark hair, except one. One of the boys had bright, spiky, golden hair. _Naruto… Oh no! Now Ino and Sakura and Tenten will see him and know who he is! What do I do, what do I do? I have to stay calm and try to hide it… But I can't hide things like that!_

In her panicked state, Hinata didn't see that one of the dark heads belonged to her cousin Neji. Or that two others were Ino's childhood friends, Nara Shikamaru and Akamichi Chouji. But the other three all noticed. Sakura paled as she saw Neji, and then paled even more as Tenten spotted him. _Crap…_

Ino, drama queen that she was, ignored the brewing soap opera and focused on Chouji and Shikamaru. "Hey guys! If there wasn't a counter here I'd hit you for not coming in sooner. Took you long enough to come see me at work!" Chouji was engrossed in the menu and Shikamaru muttered something about "troublesome," so Ino wasn't given much to work with. "Jerks… What can I get you gentlemen on this fine day?"

Sakura, Tenten and Hinata all forgot their own problems for a moment, looking at Ino. They knew that tone of voice. That was her charming, bordering on flirty, voice. Not that Sakura or Hinata blamed her; there were some cute guys in the group.

Ino's ignorance of Hinata's mental drama ended about five seconds later when Naruto caught a glimpse of her face through the hair that had fallen to cover it as Hinata stared at her feet. "Hinata-chan! YOU work here? No way! Hey, what's your favorite food, cause I don't think you have ramen and I don't know what else to-" Ino caught sight of Hinata's face as she winced.

She turned to Sakura with big eyes. Hina-chan, their Hina-chan, looked completely love struck. Ino didn't even wait for Sakura's response; she jumped into match-making mode. "Hinata, take their orders will you? I'm going to go help Sakura with the baking and coffee!" Hinata's face paled even faster than it had turned red, which was pretty amazing. Tenten had a five second inner struggle before going to help her. Two of the boys who came up looked kind of similar, just different hair styles and eye shapes. Maybe they were cousins… Then Chouji and Shikamaru, Chouji ordering for both. Then there was Naruto, who wouldn't take a hint and went up to give his order to Hinata, leaving Tenten with Neji.

Figured.

She was surprised when she noticed he was watching the other pair- Ino would have laughed insanely and said couple- out of the corner of his eye. Both of his eyes were narrowed as well. Tenten choked on laughter and he transferred his glare to her.

"What?"

"Don't- Don't tell me you're _protective_ of Hina-chan?? I'll admit he's not the most obvious choice to have a crush on, but at least they won't have any awkward silences." She beamed at him, enjoyed his scowl. The boy actually cared, there was shocker. She handed him his coffee (the poor boy had obviously never heard of sugar, there was practically none in there) and watched Hinata stare off after Naruto. "So, that answers that question. Now the big one is: why _him_?"

Hinata looked at her fingers and for the fourth time that day, poked them together. Tenten shoved them back down impatiently, not saying anything. "I guess- He- He seems so confidant 

and happy, I've always wanted to be like that. When he smiles it makes me feel like I could do something, you know?"

Tenten smiled, amused. "No, I don't know. But it sounds nice. And kiss him in front of your cousin for me, 'kay?" Hinata blushed so much it looked almost painful.

--

Me: 1,767 words! And I am NOT counting the bit at the beginning! YAY ME! This also means I can now be a BetaReader (I think). So yay again! Also: Lee's leukemia was put in as a substitute to his lack of gen/ninjutsu. And I am NOT a fan of TenLee in any way, shape, or form, but it works pretty nicely to move NejiTen along. So just wait for it… And now, back by popular demand, is Gaara in his panda suit!

Gaara enters in panda suit

Gaara: I hate you all…

Me: Say it…

Gaara: Herbblade-chan owns nothing. Seriously. Oh and, next chapter: School goes on and things start going right for the Kunoichi staff, but for how long? Not very long at all! New rivals, new feelings (not the ones you'd expect), and romance gone topsy-turvy! (All pairing are now pretty much set unless you can think up a REALLY good reason to put it in. She might even branch out and do something I don't normally do… We'll just have to see.)


	6. Chapter 6

Hinata spun around the kitchen, dancing to her iPod as she made herself breakfast. Neji and Hanabi would be waking up soon and her father was probably wandering the shadows somewhere, but she didn't care. Pausing in her dance to butter her toast, Hinata settled for head-banging. She didn't know what it was about today, but she was exhilarated.

As she started eating she had to stop moving around or else her iPod would end up in her toast, but the feeling didn't go away. Maybe it was the fact that it was the first Friday of the year, or that Tenten hadn't _actually _gotten into a fight with Neji yet, or maybe that Uzumaki Naruto sat next to her in every class he could.

Yeah, it was definitely the last one.

She had chosen her outfit carefully; it was the same general look as usual, but the purples and whites and blues seemed_ brighter_. Her toast eaten, she went to school.

Hinata turned her iPod off as she got closer to school, listening to people and cars. Then she heard a familiar laugh, except a bit strained. Sakura was walking with one of Neji's friends and Rock Lee. Hinata vaguely remembered the friend; his name was Sasuke, and both Sakura and Ino had a huge crush on him.

Sakura must have figured out a way to walk with him to school when Lee showed up. And everyone knew how much Lee like Sakura.

Hinata winced. Now all they needed was Ino and Tenten (who always walked together) to show up and everything would be just per- "Hey Hina-chan! How's it go- Is that Sakura and Sasuke? What are they doing?!" Ino and Tenten had arrived.

"Umm, hi, Ino-chan. What do you mean; I think they're just walking with Lee-san…" Hinata sent Tenten a desperate look.

Tenten visibly scrabbled for something to put in. She came up with, "Yeah Ino, you Sakura wouldn't make a move on Sasuke with Lee there…"

Wrong thing to say. "Well the fact that Lee is there means that Sakura ALREADY made a move on him! Otherwise they wouldn't have walked together at all! This is a disaster! And Lee will just make Sasuke jealous so he'll ask Sakura out and then they'll date and then get married and then have kids and I'll grow into an old maid!" Ino was on the verge of tears and Hinata and Tenten freaked out even more.

They managed to get her into the school and then to the bathrooms where she calmed down. She also agreed not to torture Sakura to find out every detail of her 'evil plot' but they knew Sakura would be in for an interrogation at lunch.

During P.E. Hinata spilled her worries to Tenten. "You don't think this'll come between their friendship, do you? What if they never speak to each other again? What about the shop? What about the four of us, how will we handle all being friends if Ino and Sakura aren't friends? What if they try to make us choose between them?"

Tenten was impressed Hinata could say all that while running around the track under Gai-sensei's watch. "Don't worry. They aren't that stupid or young. Maybe four years ago I'd have been worried, but not now. Ino might be a drama queen and Sakura might be impulsive, but they're best friends and they both have fully functional brains. It'll be fine."

They ran in silence for a while. Hinata decided while they were on the subject of boys… "Ten-chan, do you remember Ino's comment about being an old maid? Do you think that's really going to happen to any of us?"

"Don't say it like it's the worst thing in the world Hina-chan… And it won't happen to you. Or Sakura or Ino. You just have to find the right guys who see the best in you."

"What about you?"

"What about me? If I meet a guy I like, then we'll talk. Till then, I don't mind the thought of old maid-ness."

Hinata frowned at Tenten's neutral tone. _I'll have to talk to Ino and Sakura about this. Tenten's a senior now, we have to help her find a great guy while she's still here._

--

**Lunch:**

Ino had started grilling Sakura the moment all four of them had been seated. What had they been doing, why were they walking together, and did Sasuke seem interested?

Sakura answered easily so it was obvious nothing monumental had happened. "I was going to swing by your house Hina-chan, but I ran into Sasuke-kun." She turned beet red and Hinata sympathized with her friend, it sounded like her and Naruto. "We walked the rest of the way. He didn't say much… Then Lee-san popped out of the bushes…"

Tenten choked on her milk. "_The bushes??_ He came out of the bushes?? I'm going to kill him…" But from the way she was laughing they all doubted Lee was going to die. While they were all watching Tenten laugh her head off, they didn't notice someone else sit at the table.

Tenten was actually the first to see her. "…Hello Karin-chan…" The redhead looked slightly disgusted to be in their presence, but she also seemed to be mad.

"What exactly were you doing with Sasuke-kun this morning? I've known him for years, you are not about to waltz in and ruin our relationship! Stay away from Sasuke if you know what's good for you!" And she left.

No one was laughing anymore. Hinata had paled at the girl's cold fury. Ino spoke first, slowly and wonderingly. "She came to try and make you back off. She must really feel threatened. Karin, threatened! She's only been here a week and she's top pick for cheerleading captain! And she's feeling threatened by a coffee girl who's only walked to school with Sasuke ONCE!" Ino smirked viciously and Hinata saw her interest in Sasuke change from wanting to be his girlfriend to wanting to make his wanna-be girlfriend as uncomfortable as possible before taking him away from her completely.

Tenten saw it too; Sakura was still too shocked to speak so Tenten took her opportunity. "Ino, have I ever told you you remind me of those conniving mothers in movies? The ones that will set their daughters up? And cackle while doing it?"

But Ino was already drawing up a battle plan. Hinata gave Tenten a small smile, "At least they won't fight over him anymore."

--

Me: 1,084 words… Not bad, I think.

Gaara: Not as good as last time.

Me: If you want to be in this fic outside of wearing a panda suit, you'd better shape up mister! Now say your lines!

Gaara: Herbblade-chan doesn't own Naruto or anything else you want to accuse her of owning.

Me: Thanks. So stay tuned for the next chapter! Ino's plans for battle are finalized and Mission Uchiha Sasuke begins! And Hinata thinks Naruto might be building up to asking her out, if only he didn't seem so interested in her friend… But at the same time, could tragedy strike the school? And who will it strike?


	7. Chapter 7

Tenten whistled as she swept the shop, glad it was the weekend and there was early morning sunlight coming from the windows. She was opening by herself for once, but she was OK with that. The other three were coming in early anyways, so she just had to get everything ready before they got there.

Sakura was first, her pink hair still wet but drying quickly. "Hiya Tennie-chan! Glad to be through the first week of school?" She was perky as usual.

Tenten grinned back, "Saki-chan, you asked me that yesterday and the answer hasn't changed- YES." Sakura started banging around in the kitchen, looking for the muffin tray and Tenten went back to wiping down tables. Hinata was next, five minutes early as usual, and the three of them opened with a quiet fellowship that came from doing this often.

Ino was late. She came in looking slightly deranged despite her blonde hair being as neat as usual. Her blue eyes flashed as she headed to the small office where all the records were kept to start on the taxes. Sakura had asked if Ino wanted her to do it, but Ino had declined. Then she had left and left the other three to close up, writing feverishly on a piece of paper.

"Should we be worried about Ino-chan?" Hinata looked worried already.

Sakura just shook her head.

Ino acted like that both Sunday and Monday, until finally Tuesday when she came out of the office looking like a woman on a mission. They were just closing up and looked up as she came out. "What's up Ino, are you done with the taxes?" They could all hear Sakura's "already" but none of them voiced it.

Ino shook her head, "Haven't even started- you can do that later, I seem to remember you wanted to. For now though, you are all going to drop what you're doing and sit at THAT table while I debrief you on your roles in the mission." She pointed at a four-person table and watched as they all walked slowly over.

When they were seated (and still not saying anything), she stood over her chair, not sitting. "As you know, you have all become involved in Mission Uchiha Sasuke. Luckily for me, you all have skills that will come in useful. Any questions so far?" A brief look around and Ino had moved on. "I'm the leader of the team; you will all report to and obey me. Haruno Sakura- you will try and attract Sasuke. Shouldn't be hard, he already walked you in. Just don't let an opportunity go by without letting him know that _you _are an amazing, smart young lady that he should be very interested in. Got it?" Sakura nodded slowly, looking a little uncomfortable. Much as she liked him, she didn't want to be falling over Sasuke like Karin… But Ino seemed to want her to be seen as Karin's opposite, so it should be alright…

"Hyuuga Hinata- reconnaissance. Your job is to ask Uzumaki Naruto on a regular basis about the stasis of Sasuke's attraction. Shouldn't be hard, Naruto talks enough and he's Sasuke's best friend and you see him a lot and he likes you. Just bring it up and _voila_." Hinata was flushing furiously, but she nodded quickly.

"Tenten- you're also reconnaissance, but you'll be more… behind the scenes. You'll have to wake up early, but I want you to try and follow them on the way to school. And KEEP. LEE. OUT. OF. THE. WAY." Sakura looked horror-struck at the idea of Tenten following her around, but the brunette just nodded neutrally. She was used to Lee; she'd be able to keep him away long enough for Sakura and Sasuke to be around the block.

"_Now_ who has questions?"

Sakura's hand shot up and she said, "Why do I have to do this?"

"Do you like Sasuke?" Nod. "Do you want him to end up with Karin?" Violent head shake. "Do you want him to like you and ask you out?" Hesitant nod. "That's why. Anyone else?"

Hinata and Tenten looked at each other before simultaneously shrugging. Ino looked pleased.

"Good! Operation Uchiha Sasuke begins tomorrow!"

--

Hinata shifted a little in her seat as Naruto told her about his friend Kiba and the Rabid Squirrel. He broke off in his story, "Hey, Hinata-chan, are you still with me? You seem quieter than usual."

Hinata looked down briefly, embarrassed at being so obvious, before seizing her opportunity. "I was just thinking about Sakura-chan. Usually we walk to school together but lately she's started walking with Uchiha Sasuke. But he doesn't seem interested at all and I'm worried about her if he rejects her. Sakura-chan has a big heart; she cares about people almost too easily."

Naruto's smile widened and Hinata realized it had shrunk when he'd talked to her. Her heart fluttered at the thought that _he had been worried about her._ She mentally shook herself as he replied, "Yeah Sakura-chan does have a big heart…" She felt her heart sink. He looked like he wanted to say something but seemed to restrain himself and Hinata nearly choked.

Of course, who would like her, pale Hinata when there was strong, smart Sakura? Only the thought of the "mission" and Ino could force her to return her attention to Naruto's reply. "But Sasuke likes her back. I think anyway, he's been acting like it but Sasuke doesn't talk about stuff like that. The biggest clue is when he tries to bite your head off- it means you hit the mark. I'll try and find out, OK Hinata-chan?"

She muttered her thanks and fell back into despair.

--

Tenten doodled on her paper; she hadn't run into Lee that morning, Sasuke had almost picked Sakura up, Ino was on cloud nine, and right now Hinata was talking to Naruto. The plan was going well and everyone seemed happy.

Except Tenten who was finding out she could only focus on the idea of going to the dojo that night and guessing Jiriya's hair gel.

It was one of those days.

She managed to get through the day and work, Sakura muttering about taxes and Ino planning their next move and being ecstatic over the success of their first one at the same time. She finally got to the dojo and felt her spirits perk up a bit as she donned her tie kwon do outfit.

It was extra practice, the thing she went to every other day that no one else really went to, but the work out and movements made her feel at peace. Never mind that it was only her, Neji, Lee and Gai-sensei- she felt _good_.

Gai finally called an end to the warm-ups/solitary working. "Hello youthful students! As always this extra session has served to show who holds the most YOUTH! Tenten-chan, youthful flower, nice to see you back. Neji-kun, our newest possessor of youth! How pleased we are to see you! And Lee of course. Now my most noble possessors of youth what shall we d- Lee? Lee most youthful son, what's wrong?" Tenten saw Neji twitch at the word "son" but she was focused on Lee who was- gasp- sitting down.

"It is nothing Gai-sensei, just a cramp! I shall be fine after a few stretches!" Lee started stretching but the look of pain on his face was obvious.

Tenten felt the panic rise in her throat. "Gai-sensei, isn't this how it started last time?" Her voice was high and too loud in her ears but she didn't care.

Gai's lack of response was enough to send her hands up to her mouth and tears spring to her eyes. "Oh no…"

Neji was looking from person to person. He settled on Tenten, Gai had left the room to make a phone call and Lee was staring at the ground with pain different from the kind he had displayed earlier evident in his eyes. "Tenten- what's wrong? How what started?"

Tenten shook her head, biting her lower lip. She managed to choke out, "His- H-his… His leukemia." Both her and Lee's expressions intensified; hers of panic and fear, and his of emotional and physical pain.

Neji's white eyes widened. "You're serious?"

"Lee is stubborn, he must have been having 'cramps' for days- weeks even- but if it's strong enough to get him off his feet… We have to be sure but it could be the leukemia is back."

"What do we do?"

Tenten just shook her head. Neji's eyes narrowed and he made the first decision that Tenten had ever heard that she agreed with. "When he goes to the hospital I'm going too."

--

Me: 1,452 words! That is an improvement on last time, I'm proud of me.

Gaara: Yay…

Me: So maybe it's because I've been forgetting to remind you, but REVIEWING- glorious thing that it is- has gone DOWN. BRING IT BACK UP PEOPLE! It'll speed up the next chapter…

Gaara: In which Ino's plan moves forward, Sakura takes control of her own part of the plan, we enter NARUTO'S point of view, and Tenten reveals her past and how she came to know the youthful beasts of Konoha. And this is only the second week of school!

Me: Speaking of which: I don't own anything.

Gaara: REVIEW! Get me out of this freaking panda suit and REVIEW!


	8. Chapter 8

Ino had just stepped out of the shower when her cell phone rang. She pulled her towel around her body and went over, checking the caller ID. If it wasn't someone important, she wasn't answering- It was Tenten. Knowing her brunette friend only called when it was worth it, Ino answered. "Hey Tennie-chan, what's up?"

Tenten's voice sounded strained through the speaker. "Hey Ino-chan, Lee-kun might be going through a relapse with his leukemia. I'm going to the hospital with him, Gai-sensei and Neji-san right now but I don't know when I'll be leaving. I'll try and be at school and work tomorrow but I don't know yet. But either way I won't be able to do the mission."

"It's OK Ten-chan. Let me know how Lee-san does alrig—Wait- did you say Neji? As in HYUUGA NEJI?!"

"Oh yeah— tell Hina-chan Neji-san won't be back till late or even tomorrow. Thanks, I'll call you later." Tenten hung up before Ino could ask again.

Neji raised an eyebrow. "What mission?"

"Shut up, it has nothing to do with you." She leaned back and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She and Neji were in Neji's car, Tenten figured she'd catch a bus or walk back later… They were bringing some of Lee's stuff on Gai's command.

Neji scowled. "Why are we bringing this stuff anyway? Isn't it bad luck to move stuff into a hospital room? Like saying 'you'll be here forever, have fun.'"

Tenten shook her head and smiled a small smile, "That's not the way Gai-sensei—and by connection Lee-kun—works. Gai-sensei can't stand hospital rooms; he says they're un-youthful and depressing. Give him supplies and half an hour and Lee's room will be completely different. The first time Lee was in the hospital he tried putting weights and stuff in there- the nurses nearly killed him except Lee was so happy. He still had to take them away though."

Neji gave her a weird look as they stopped at a stop light. "'The first time'? I thought you said he was just a kid when he first got leukemia, you've known him that long?"

"Mm-hmm."

--

Sakura groaned and rolled over as her phone rang. She reached out for it blindly and blearily opened her eyes to see Ino's picture beaming at her. Why had she ever set her caller ID to show that? She answered the phone. "Ino, what is it? Do you even know what time it is? You know what, I'll tell you- It's two in the morning!! This had better be good!"

Ino sounded… The only way Sakura could think to describe it was a combination of eccentric and sugar high. "It is, Forehead, it really is! So Tenten's at the hospital with Lee-san and Neji-san—I know! Isn't it _weird_?—and might not be at work tomorrow so I was thinking there had to be a way to make the fact that's it only the three of us work somehow. And then I figured it out! Kunoichi Coffee will be closed tomorrow- we're going to get Hina-chan to get Naruto-san to make Sasuke-kun go somewhere where we will happen to be going too! And then Hina-chan will make sure Naruto-san stays out of the way and I'll guard against Karin and _voila!_ You've got Insta-Romance!"

Sakura just hung up and went back to bed.

Ino just shrugged before calling Hinata.

--

Neji waited for Tenten to continue. She brooded for a while before she started to talk. Her voice was calm but he could hear the fond nostalgia undercurrent of her story.

"I'm an orphan. Lee-kun is as well. I've lived in Konoha my entire life but I've been moved from foster home to foster home. When I was about six I moved in with a woman who had two children of her own and a foster child already. Lee-kun was the other foster kid. Since we were only six and the budget was tight we shared a room. You've met him; you know how friendly he is. My first night there we stayed up the entire time talking about our dreams and pasts and stuff. His father was an athlete before he was injured and had to get a desk job; Lee-kun's dream was to fulfill his father's dream and go to the Olympics. I wanted to be a police officer and stop people from being killed like my parents were; we were both interested in sports and Lee-kun agreed to take martial arts with me if I would go to football camp with him. The closest dojo was Gai-sensei's."

Neji nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "Gai-sensei gave Lee-kun new inspiration; to be his best for himself and for the people who are here _now._ The three of us were pretty close by the time Lee starting showing signs of being sick. Gai-sensei was the one who advised our foster-mother to take him to the doctor. Then of course we found out Lee-kun had leukemia. He was so devastated; the doctors told him he couldn't do sports much anymore, especially not contact sports. Gai-sensei and I were there and do you know what he did? Gai-sensei stood straight up and told them that his student would do what he damn well wanted with his life. The next day he applied for custody of both of us. He was granted Lee's because of his good-enough salary and home and their obvious connection (Lee-kun had had his hair cut already), but even that was a struggle. There was no way he'd get both of us, and my social worker made it clear there was no way he'd get me. But I've stayed in the area and no matter how crappy some of the homes I've been in have been I've always been welcome at the dojo."

She slouched in her chair a little, smirking fondly. "One of my favorite memories is Gai-sensei telling those doctors to shut up about what Lee-kun could and couldn't do. Their faces… And Lee-kun looked like a light bulb, he was that happy. And well, you don't see Gai-sensei get that mad that often. Hey, that's the hospital, right?"

And it was. Neji pulled in and Tenten grabbed the boxes, waving him off. "Just open the doors."

--

**Naruto's Point of View (GASP)**

I watched Sasuke as he paced around my room. Don't ask me why he decided to come here at 6 AM, but he's just been pacing there since he showed up. And he hasn't said a SINGLE word to me.

Looks like Mr. I'm-Cold-But-Still-Cool has finally lost it over something. I've been bugging him for half an hour now, since he woke me up anyway, but I had to give him a break to make my ramen. I waited for it to be done as Sasuke kept pacing. I went through my usual celebration when it was done and Sasuke looked up. "Aren't you going to offer me some?"

Touchy… And I didn't even say anything. Well, at that point I hadn't. "No! You barging in and waking me up then not telling me why does not get you ramen!" I pouted a little while eating my precious ramen and Uchiha went back to pacing. Stupid teme…

"Dobe, do you… I mean have you- Do you like anyone?"

"Yeah sure! I like you and Neji and Shikamaru and all the other guys and I like Hinata-chan and her friends and I even kind of like Tsunade-baa-chan a little, but don't tell her cuz it'll go straight to her head, and I like Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei and most of the other teachers… Oh, and Pervy Sage too, even if he is crazy. And-"

"NO you DOBE! I mean _like _like…" I swear to the god of ramen that Uchiha Sasuke was blushing just then. He also wouldn't meet my eye, which is his classic avoid-embarrassment tactic.

I grinned what Kiba named my Evil Fox of Doom Grin. 'OH! Well why didn't you say that sooner? And yes I do in fact, but I'm not telling _you._"

He glared his annoyed glare at me. Chouji thinks I'm a genius cuz I can tell Sasuke's glares apart. It's really just getting glared at a lot- which is totally cuz of teme's attitude problem, not mine like Kiba keeps telling me. What does Dog-Breath know?

Sasuke looked up at me and for a second I swore we were seven year olds on the playground again, no pressure or rules. "I'll tell you who I like if you tell me who you like… But you have to go first." There he was, back to his normal teme-self.

I leaned in, "Alright, first off I should tell you about the real love of my life. I'm going to buy an engagement ring and propose as soon as I'm legally able." He leaned in and I saw him holding his breath. "Say hello to the love of my life- ramen!" I rubbed my cup against my cheek lovingly and dodged the various things that came flying towards my head.

"I was being serious!"

"So was I!"

"NO YOU WEREN'T!"

I nearly choked on my own spit at that. Of _course_ I wasn't (mostly), but didn't he know me better? And here was UCHIHA SASUKE shouting over little ol' me- that was definitely new. "Sasuke, what's up, you're being really tense…"

"Just answer the question Naruto, is that so hard?" You know what? Sometimes Sasuke sounds _exactly _like an angry woman.

"Fine… Teme…" Not even a 'dobe' in response. "I might possibly… have a minor crush on… Hinata-chan… But you can't tell Neji! EVER!!"I knew what would happen if Teme told anyone. If he told Neji, I was _screwed._

"Good, thank you." He looked oddly relieved. "When you kept staring at their table I thought maybe you liked… Sakura… chan…" He voice got quieter and quieter as his face got redder and redder.

People have called me a dense idiot for a large part of my life, but you know what? I not only understood Sasuke's all too obvious behavior, but I also had a plan.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you came to the right man!"

And of course I totally imagined the panicked look on his face.

--

Me: 1,714! I think that's a new record!

Gaara: blows party noisemaker looking bored

Me: Hush you. You reader peoples would not believe how much I love this chapter. Not only do Neji and Tenten have a bonding moment, but Ino got to let her inner evil mastermind out and I got to be Naruto! That was insanely fun, I think I might do it again…

Gaara: Herbblade-chan owns nothing. She also has a very small and pitiful amount of knowledge on leukemia, foster homes, and the minds of boys so just suck it up if you don't like how she does it.

Me: That has got to be the nicest thing you've ever said… About me at least.

Gaara: Good, now take off the panda suit.

Me: NO!

Gaara: Fine… Next chapter: This world's Team Gai in the hospital, Naruto makes a plan and puts it into action while Ino puts _her_ plan into action. But how well will either of the plans go, especially while happening at the same time? And is there romance blooming where no one thought to look for romance before?


	9. Chapter 9

Naruto outlined his plan to Sasuke who looked appalled. "No way!"

"Teeeemmmmeee… You keep looking at things as an Uchiha. You need to see things as an Uzumaki! And _Uzumakis_ would see my plan as a work of genius."

"You're the only Uzumaki!"

"As far as we now."

"That's not any better dobe! Besides- You're just using this plan to help _yourself_ out!" Sasuke was back to pacing, it was his way of venting without losing his cool. Not that Naruto didn't make him loose his cool anyway- it was the reason Sasuke never got bored of the idiot. Surprises were rare in his world.

--

Tenten was dozing off as Lee slept in his bed and the doctors ran around somewhere trying to interpret his tests. Neji had his eyes closed as well but it was more of an extended blink, his posture remained perfect while Tenten slouched forward. Gai was getting much needed non-hospital food, leaving the three teens in Lee's newly-green-ified room. Tenten was pretty sure Gai hadn't actually _painted _the walls, but there were few traces of white left anywhere.

Neji betrayed all signs of being asleep by speaking. "If you fall asleep they'll make you go home." Tenten sat up.

"I'm awake. Besides, it's not like I have a choice, the buses won't be running for another half hour. I think… What time is it?" She stretched and yawned, thinking was sometime around five.

"Six thirty. In the morning. We've been up all night."

"Ugh… Well, Ino-chan will probably find a way to make up for me missing work and school can wait, but can't they hurry up? I at least want to know if there's anything seriously _wrong_ with Lee or if he'll be fine in a week or two…"

Neji looked at her curiously, making her squirm a little. "He honestly is your brother."

"Yeah, I told you that. He used to say he wished we looked more alike so we could convince people we were related. Then he decided their expressions when he introduced me as his sister was more fun." The brunette wondered where that had come from. As far as she knew Hyuuga Neji wasn't a random, touchy-feely person.

She remembered all of Hinata's small comments about Neji. "Neji-san… Are you and Hinata like that? Are you close?"

"My uncle has efficiently alienated what was once a sibling-like bond between my cousin and me. Which is a pity since he is under the delusion he should kill his relationship with her as well." There was the Hyuuga she was used to… But Tenten found herself missing the old one.

She decided to poke the conversation back towards happiness. "She respects you. When you came into the store she acted like she does around Sakura-chan when she's in her owner-of-a-business mood."

It might have been her imagination, but she could have sworn she'd seen a smirk.

--

Hinata was sitting in her seat in the drama room, going over her lines again and again. _Hello Naruto-kun. What are you doing today? What about after school?_ Ino, who had given her the lines, seemed to think Naruto wouldn't take a hint that well. _Well we closed the shop for the day, do you want to go to a restaurant with me, Ino-chan and Sakura-chan? You can bring Sasuke-san so you have a guy along and since he and Sakura get on so well._

She could do it… She could do it… Oh who was she kidding, she couldn't possibly-

"Hey Hinata-chan! How're you?"

"Oh- um- h-hello Naruto-kun… I'm fine. How are you?"

Naruto beamed despite Hinata's obvious discomfort. "Hey, Hinata-chan, you know Sasuke and Sakura? Do you want to help me get them together?"

Hinata nearly fell out of her chair. Naruto just kept smiling, feeling that his master plan was going perfectly. After all, one of Sakura's friends helping him would be perfect! Hinata finally managed to speak, coughing slightly. "U- Uh- Umm… That is… Sure!" The last word came out a little high pitched but Naruto didn't notice.

"Great! So I was thinking that we pretend to be going out, and for our first date we're going to a restaurant, right? But you're nervous so you propose bring Sakura along and I'll agree and bring Sasuke along! Isn't it great?"

Hinata gave up the struggle and fainted.

She woke up in the nurse's office, Shizune fussing over her and lecturing Naruto at the same time. She woke up to Naruto's indignant, "Why do you assume it's my fault?"

Shizune tutted at his density, and was about to inform him of several things when she noticed Hinata was awake. "Oh, hello dear. How are you feeling? Do you remember why you fainted, 

did you eat breakfast?" Her words were kind enough, but her tone held steel and her eyes darted back to Naruto. Hinata nodded quickly.

"What time is it?"

"Oh, it's only been about five minutes- you weren't out for long. Do you feel up to going back to class?" Hinata nodded again, and stood up to prove her point. She and Naruto then escaped from the office and Shizune went back to her class.

Naruto waited till they'd gone down about two hallways. "So what do you say to my proposal?"

Hinata took a deep breath. "Um, actually I had a better idea… Maybe you and Sasuke could just come to the movies and then to a restaurant or something with me, Ino-chan and Sakura-chan? We're going after school today and neither of them will object to your presence…"

Naruto stared at her for a minute. "That's a great idea Hinata-chan, you're really smart." They reached the classroom. "We'll meet you right after school outside the front doors, OK?"

Hinata nodded and grinned at the blonde boy who promptly opened the door for her. But as she walked in ahead of him, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little down. Sure it wasn't going to be for real, but she had just turned him down for a date. And he couldn't help but feel… Disappointed.

--

Ino tapped her pencil on the desk in an annoyed manner. Tenten had sent her a text- probably telling all about Lee and when she'd be leaving the hospital- but she _couldn't open it._ The school had actually forced its teachers to care about the no-cell-phone rule so Ino was stuck here in unknowing torture. The one thing Ino couldn't stand was _not knowing_.

And then there was he mission- she didn't see Hinata till lunch which made another thing she didn't know.

But the biggest problem of all… Nara Shikamaru, Ino's long time friend and almost brother, was daydreaming. That wasn't a problem, that was just Shikamaru. No; the real problem was what the pineapple-headed boy was doing while daydreaming. Ino and Chouji had discovered a long time ago that Shikamaru's daydreams manifested themselves in what he was doing with his hands, usually drawing or tapping a tune.

Shikamaru was sitting right in front of Ino, giving her the perfect view of what was happening to his paper as he doodled.

All over the paper was one word; but that word was enough to send Ino into a state of shock, then rage over not knowing or seeing this coming.

All over the paper was one word, a name.

_Temari._ And if that wasn't enough, it was sometimes coupled with another word- another name. Some of the 'Temari's were turned into _Nara Temari._ Ino had been called a gossip queen, but this was not gossip.

This was _fact._

--

Tenten's head came up as the doctor and Gai came in. Neji spoke for them both, "Well?"

The doctor sighed. "I'm afraid Lee-kun is indeed suffering a relapse. It's in a very early stage and was luckily caught now, but it is leukemia."

--

Me: 1,311 words. Not my best work, but meh. It's a chapter. And I'm officially on summer break, so expect some updates!

Gaara: Yes, because if she's not writing she'll be bored… And then she might force me to wear other suits… Speaking of which, all the suits would be rented because Herbblade-chan doesn't own ANYTHING. If you think she does you are WRONG.

Me: Thank you… Next chapter: What are these feelings bubbling up in Naruto? He's supposed to be paying attention to helping Sasuke! And Ino takes action with the Karin and Shikamaru situations. But while she's definitely against Karin, will she help or hinder her childhood friend? And Tenten and Neji's reaction to the news… Will tragedy bind them together- or break the bond that barely exists?


	10. Chapter 10

Ino paced around outside the movie theatre. Sakura was leaning on the wall, but her tapping foot gave away her nervousness. Hinata's nervousness was spread all over her face as she played with the bottom of her shirt.

Sakura finally asked it. "Ino, you should be jumping for joy this worked, not looking like you just want to kill something."

It wasn't intended to goad Ino, or make her mad, but that's what happened. "How could he not tell me? Stupid jerk, we've been friends forever! He's never liked ANY girls and he chooses NOW to like one, and he doesn't even tell me about it! And she's a year older than us, too! What is his problem?!"

"Who's problem?" That comment _was_ intended to get Ino to talk.

"Nara Shikamaru's! He likes Temari- that exchange student from Suna! When has he even MET her?" Ino's pacing sped up and her eyes narrowed.

"Ino, you remember you swore in eight grade that you didn't like him, right?"

"The problem, Sakura, is not that I like him. The problem is that he didn't even tell me he liked her. I mean; when Chouji liked that girl who worked at the grocery store he told both of us right away! And then thanks to us they went on a date! And when I liked Kenji-kun Shikamaru and Chouji _spyed _on him for three days! I just don't know why _he_ doesn't want our help!"

Sakura opened her mouth but was interrupted by Naruto's loud voice calling, "Hi guys! Er- girls! So what movie are we going to see?"

Ino sighed. "Well, why don't Sasuke and Sakura go in and get popcorn and drink and the three of us will pick a movie and get tickets, OK?" Naruto shifted a little at this plan, wondering how best to explain that they needed to pick a scary movie to get Sakura and Sasuke closer…

But Ino knew. "I need five tickets to the scariest movie I can buy tickets to without being eighteen." The guy behind the counter just looked at her before pushing some buttons on the register.

--

Naruto felt his life flash before his eyes as another character's life ended. Ino was sitting to his left, eating popcorn in an unconcerned way. Obviously slasher movies had no effect on the blonde girl, making the blonde boy's fear of her go up a couple dozen levels. To her left were Sakura and Sasuke; Sakura holding onto Sasuke for dear life with her head buried in his shoulder and Sasuke gripping her tightly and watching the screen with wide, shocked, and unblinking eyes.

As the scary music reached its loudest Naruto felt a grip on his arm. He looked over and down to see Hinata giving him the same treatment Sakura was giving Sasuke.

Naruto shifted a little before nervously putting his arms around her. But unlike the Uchiha he put his head down as well and whispered in her ear, "I am never going to a movie with Ino again."

Hinata shook slightly, whether a nod or a chuckle or a shudder Naruto had no idea. He didn't really care though, he was allowed to keep his arms around her and that made everything a little better.

They kept their heads down like that until the movie was over and the few other daring people who had come to see it were leaving, when Ino poked Naruto in the back. "Come on you guys, it wasn't _that _bad."

Sasuke looked at her with fear and awe. "Are you a serial killer?"

Sakura piped up from behind him, her voice a little high, "No, Pig just has no fear."

"What! The people aren't_ real_ so it doesn't matter."

Naruto just shook his head and made a note to get away from Ino as soon as possible.

--

Tenten wiped the tears from her face and eyes as she and Neji headed out to the parking lot. Despite her distress and Neji's stubbornness they had been forced to leave the hospital. They were supposed to go home, go to school the next day, and then come and visit Lee for an hour or so whenever they had time. "Why did Gai-sensei get to stay, it's not fair…"

"He's Lee-san's father." Neji was glaring at the floor though.

"I don't want to go home. I think I'll go to the dojo and blow off some steam…"

"Do you have a ride?" Neji's tone was neutral but Tenten was surprised the question had even come up.

"I'll ride the bus."

"In that case I'll drive you and we can spar at the dojo. Hinata-sama is out and I don't want to explain to my uncle just yet. Besides, I vaguely remember you promising to destroy me for what I did to Lee-san." Neji smirked but Tenten quickly shook her head.

"No- you don't have to. You've made up for it. Actually, I'm sorry I judged you so quickly. You've been much nicer lately." Neji's white eyes widened. Him, nice? When had that happened?

Had he really changed that quickly? Gone from possibly caring about his friends and even less possibly Hinata-sama to definitely caring about Lee-san and… And this girl? He couldn't believe it, but his answer hit him like a ton of bricks as Tenten asked, "Neji-san… Could I call you Neji-kun?" It was fast and to the point, but both of them knew that this was the first test.

As Neji had been hit by the ton of bricks known as realization, he knew how to answer. "Yes, you may, but on one condition. Be my sparring partner?" It hung on the edge of his tongue, the unsaid part of his question.

_Tenten-chan._

Tenten smiled and nodded and they went to Neji's car and all the way to the dojo in silence. But for the first time… It was a good silence.

--

Naruto wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but he and Hinata were walking home together. Something about how he'd come in Sasuke's car but Ino wanted Sasuke and Sakura to go home together. Alone. And the girl had picked up on the fact that Naruto returned Hinata's feelings (they were both beyond obvious) so she'd pointed out that they lived in one direction and she lived in another. And while she _could_ drive them home, they both lived close enough that it would be fine.

And neither had refused.

Naruto chatted freely; Hinata nodding, laughing, and sometimes commenting. It was a warm early-evening and they both settled into each other's company easily. He dropped her off in front of her house, just saying 'bye' and waving. Still, she felt satisfied.

Neji seemed to share her contentment at dinner; they both sat in silence with small smiles. Hiashi looked between them. "Would you like to share what is making you seem so happy today, daughter? Or perhaps you, nephew." He gave them a mild look that still seemed to proclaim, "I'm waiting."

"O-Oh! I went to see a movie with some of my friends Father."

"What about your work?"

"Tenten-chan had a family crisis and couldn't come in and Ino-chan need to- to take stock." Hinata hoped the small lies didn't show on her face. She _had_ seen a movie and Ino _did_ need to take stock- but that wasn't why she was happy and Ino hadn't done it today.

But Hiashi seemed satisfied. "And you, nephew? I can hardly imagine you'd be so happy with your friend in the hospital."

"I had a good sparring match after I left the hospital. And Lee-san is likely to recover, it was caught early enough this time and he's a fighter."

Again Hiashi seemed to let it go, but he gave both of them a sideways glance. "Actually Neji, I had a call from a young man trying to reach you. Uchiha Sasuke wants you to call him." Neji looked up. That could only mean one thing- Sasuke wanted to do something but didn't know how to do it. When Sasuke wanted to understand his feelings, he went to Naruto. Once he understood that, he went to Neji for advice on how to deal with his feelings without losing his cool-as-ice reputation. The two often traded tips on that, not wanting people to figure them out.

After dinner Neji went to his room and called Sasuke. "Hey, Uchiha; heard you needed my help."

"Shut up Hyuuga."

"The fact that we're having this conversation totally kills that sentence, Sasuke. Now what do you need?" Neji could see this conversation in his head. He had just crossed his arms and given Sasuke a small smirk.

Sasuke seemed to know what Neji would have done as well as Neji knew, so his tone was a little clipped when he said, "Hyuuga, how do I ask a girl out without making it obvious to the whole world that I care about her?" Well, the understatement of the year would be if you said Neji was surprised.

"Did Uchiha Sasuke just ask me for girl advice?" There was a small silence that signified a yes. "Well, I suppose that you should just be yourself around her for starters. If she likes the real you, you two'll hang out a lot and people will start pairing you together and when you ask her out people will be interested for less than two seconds."

Neji could see Sasuke looking thoughtfully at his wall and realized that he had just given _himself_ advice by giving it to Sasuke. He just had to be himself with people he wanted to be around- like Tenten and Lee- and let the rest of the world gossip until they got bored.

That was the final proof- he was a genius.

--

Ino sighed as she came to her decision. First of all- she had the perfect way to get Karin un-interested in Sasuke. Or at least convinced that leaving him alone would make him like her. And she had a decision about Shikamaru.

She dialed his number on her cell phone and he answered on the last ring before the answering machine would have gotten it. "Hey Ino, what's up?"

"Hey Shikamaru, I've got an idea that you might be interested in."

--

Me: 1,718 words…

Gaara: Yay. You wrote a lot of words about something you absolutely don't own!

Me: Nice. Also, I once again know next to nothing about leukemia, spy missions, being ice cubes, or slasher movies.

Gaara: In the next chapter Ino moves from Mission Uchiha Sasuke to Mission Temari. But will this one go off as well? Did Mission Uchiha even work? And will Neji take his own advice? Will the girls ever even get back into Kunoichi Coffee??


	11. Chapter 11

Sakura walked down the halls of Konoha High at the end of the day, humming a little. Tenten was back, a little paler and quieter than usual, but back. And despite Ino's psycho movie choice, Sasuke had been hanging around her a lot more often. And Ino had gotten over Shikamaru's secret crush, going so far as asking Sakura and Hinata if they would be interested in another mission.

She'd tried to bribe them, saying she'd pay them for overtime. Then she'd tried to get Hinata to do it by saying the next mission could be Mission Uzumaki Naruto. Hinata had fainted.

But the most important part of her good mood? The large signs posted everywhere, blaring to the whole world: **FALL FORMAL! DRESS NICE AND FIND A DATE—NEW DJ! NEXT FRIDAY!**

Now all she had to do was sit back and wait for Sasuke to ask her, because hopefully he would. So far Mission Uchiha had been a success, and Sakura hoped it would be complete soon. Today was Thursday, so she had a week and a day.

She spotted Tenten and picked up the pace, bouncing a little as she stopped next to her friend. "Hey Tennie-chan, whatcha doing?"

"Oh, it's my day off, so I'm going to go see Lee-kun then go to the dojo."

"No offense but that's kind of boring Tennie-chan. Unless you were going with… oh, I dunno… Hyuuga Neji?" Tenten fought down a blush but Sakura saw her eyes widen. "I knew it! You do like him then?! Don't deny it!"

Ino chose that moment to show up. Her inner radar immediately picked up Sakura's comments. "Ten-chan likes _who?!_" Tenten's hand reached out and grabbed her bag as she tried to escape. Ino and Sakura caught her, each one grabbing an arm. Ino guessed quickly, "Neji-san?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "B-But, Ten-chan _hates_ him!"

Sakura, the romantic poet of the group, tutted. "No Hina-chan. People say the opposite of love is hate, but they're wrong. The opposite of love is indifference. Cause at least if you hate someone you have strong feelings for them. With a little push, those feelings can reverse—as they seem to be doing for our Tennie-chan. So do you know if he likes you back?"

Tenten just looked at the ceiling as if asking someone to save her. Ino and Sakura let go before she took drastic measures, like quitting, but anyone could figure out the topic wasn't dropped.

The brunette of the group was just glad she had a car so she didn't have to ask Neji for a ride. She had a small but powerful feeling they were following her to her car, just to see that she wasn't going somewhere with someone.

When she got to the hospital, Neji was waiting for her outside Lee's room. "He's fine, they haven't started his treatments yet. Although Gai-sensei has eighth period off so he's already in there. I think he wants to grow his hair out so he can shave it off and have a wig made for Lee." He shuddered good-naturedly and Tenten laughed.

He opened the door and they both went in. Gai had gone to get something from the vending machines. As soon as they came in Lee brightened up and told them both how youthful and amazing they were. Tenten laughed again. "Oh, it's so weird Lee. I spend all day worrying about you, and then when I get here I'm not worried anymore. You'd think it would get worse when I can actually see you. You look pale, how're you feeling?"

"I thought you weren't worried about him." Neji smirked at both of them and Lee sniffed a little.

"Oh, Neji-kun! How much more youthful you have become! And Tenten-chan! You are blooming into such a beautiful flower! I can't believe you were once the little girl who punched a wall and left a crack! Although you are still strong and passionate, but you have found different channels!" Tenten smacked her head and Neji raised an eyebrow.

"You cracked a wall?"

She shook her head in an amused way. "I was mad. Besides, Lee-kun did worse, the poor wall." They sat around for a half hour, Gai joining them after the first five minutes. Then Tenten and Neji left for Lee to get his sleep. "Not that he'll sleep, specially not with Gai-sensei around. But at least it won't be our fault, and he'll need it for the chemo."

"What did he mean by saying I was becoming more youthful?"

For once it was Tenten who was smirking as she said, "You haven't noticed? You're being much nicer than the boy who beat people and told them they were failures and couldn't change it. It's actually getting hard to believe that that was you." Neji blinked.

He had actually given good advice. These people were making him more _himself_ and he was letting them.

--

Ino stood in front of Chouji and Shikamaru. They were all behind the counter at Kunoichi Coffee, Ino baking while outlining her plans.

As she bent down to pull out some bread, Chouji whispered to Shikamaru, "Hey man, do you think she's still mad about not telling her? This plan sounds kind of risky." Shikamaru just shook his head as Ino went back to making arrangements.

"So basically, we wait for her to come back to Kunoichi Coffee—since she liked it last time she was here—and then Chouji will make sure every table is full except for the one with Shikamaru in it. Hey Shika, you two _have_ talked before right?" Shikamaru nodded. "Good, so she'll hopefully sit with you. And from there you're on your own. Try and be charming, OK?" Her tone of voice reminded him of a preschool teacher talking to a teenage student.

They keep that nice voice, but there's an edge of 'get off meh land.'

He nodded anyway but Chouji raised his hand. "Say there's a table open, what do I do?"

"Well all of the girls will be in on the plan, so they'll bring someone and each fill a table. And then I've got a friend who's so anti-social he can sit alone at a huge table and no one will sit near him. Except me or Sakura, but we'll be busy. And hopefully there will be customers, so we might not even need all of these people. But if we're using everyone and there's still an empty table, you get a couple muffins and take."

Chouji nodded, looking hopeful. Ino decided to take it as a compliment to her cooking and let it go. "I'll make sure she'd here tomorrow, alright? So take a shower and try to look nice, 'kay Shika?" It wasn't a question; it was an order.

Shikamaru nodded tiredly and Ino shooed them out of the kitchen.

--

Three boys paced in front of their mirrors that night. They all stopped to look at their reflections before coughing a little. One wondered if he was getting shorter. Another if he was getting paler by the day. The last hoped his eyes didn't always look that haunted.

They all cleared their throats and said to their reflections, "I really like you. You're really great and beautiful; will you go to the dance with me?"

--

Me: 1,222 words. Not my best, but you know.

Gaara: Herbblade-chan doesn't own anything, and knows next to nothing about anything else. Please don't flame about that kind of thing.

Me: So Gaara's still in the panda suit and seems to be getting used to it. I'll have to think up something else to do to him…

Gaara: Oh yeah, that makes me really want to tell people that next chapter relationships will start and end. Who will leave with a broken heart and who will be left with a whole one? 

Mission Temari goes full swing and the girls learn the results of their personal attempts at romance. But someone's heart has to break; the only question is who's.

Me: Good job… That sounded kind of angsty. But we all know love wins out!

Gaara: You're the one who wrote the story, are you sure about that little phrase?

Me: Guess we'll find out…


	12. Chapter 12

Ino took a careful look around. They were doing good business (_as usual,_ she added to herself), but there were still a few tables open. Four, to be exact. She turned to her troops. There were Tenten, Hinata and Sakura. Then they'd brought Neji, Naruto, Sai, Shino, Kiba and Sasuke. And there was Chouji and Shikamaru. Ino made a mental note to give Hina-chan a bonus for bringing the most people.

"Right, Kiba-san, Neji-san and Shino-san take that four-seater. And keep your mutt off my furniture Inuzuka Kiba! I want it under the table or it's _gone!_"

Kiba gulped. "Yes ma'am." Shino merely nodded and grabbed a banana off the tray Ino said they could take from.

"And… Naruto-san and Hina-chan, take that two-seater. Try to look chummy while you're over there." Ino winked at Hinata who flushed but went to the table, gently leading Naruto, anyway. Ino winced as she heard Naruto ask about ramen. Too bad Hina-chan liked him; Ino would have enjoyed kicking him out.

She observed the remaining two tables. "Sasuke-kun and Saki-chan… The other two-seater. Tennie-chan, you're helping me, kay? Sai-kun and Chouji… You three can help out or leave."

"Will you pay us?"

Ino snorted. "_NO._" Chouji grumbled and left, taking a few goodies with him. Sai stalked out after him.

Ino had moved on though. "Alrighty Shikamaru— you ready?"

"I guess."

She glared at him and pointed at the last table, the only three-seater in the entire place. "You'd better be ready, I'm not doing all this again. Not for someone as ungrateful as you!" Shikamaru edged sideways until he was out of the kitchen. He remembered to get a muffin to make it look realistic.

Tenten watched Hinata and Naruto out of the corner of her eye. "Hey Ino, looks like those two are taking your advice about 'chummy-ness.'" Ino's head shot up and she leaned forward to look at them.

"Aw… wonder what they're saying?" They were in fact talking about bands (Naruto was trying to talk Hinata into listening to a screamo song), but Ino never figured that out because Temari chose that moment to come in.

"Hey, did you figure out how to make them?"

Ino nodded proudly. "Yup! For the first time ever, Kunoichi Coffee is proud to present Sunese tea cakes! We took the original recipe and shrunk it down so they're smaller, making them tea cakes instead of real cakes. Thanks for the idea and recipe, you can have a free one." Ino beamed and handed the small cake to Temari.

Temari shared an amused look with Tenten before reaching to pick it up. Ino interjected. "No—go sit down to eat it!" She waved her hands frantically and Tenten whispered.

"She just cleaned the floors and gets paranoid about it." Temari nodded and headed for a table.

Ino followed the Suna girl's path, hardly breathing. They'd set it up so Temari would head for Shikamaru's table. The air around the three boys' table was tense; Kiba was the only one talking. And the other two were clearly screaming '_couple.'_

Temari looked around and Ino saw all of those things register on her face. Tense, don't know them, don't know them, couple, don't know them, couple… Shikamaru! The older blonde headed for the table while the younger blonde cheered mentally. "Did you see that Tennie-chan?! Boom ba da boom boom boom! Total success! Now all he has to do is be nice and ask in the right way…" Ino squirmed in delight, reminded Tenten of a cat for some reason.

Tenten was distracted from Ino's celebration by Neji's appearance behind her. She jumped a little, "Sheesh—don't do that. What's up?"

"Now that the Suna girl is here, can I leave?"

Tenten held in a snicker. "You'll have to ask Ino-chan; it's her mission."

Neji directed the same question at Ino and received a quick hand wave in the direction of the door. He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He stopped as he passed by Tenten again. "How much longer is your shift?"

Ino had moved from grinning to spinning around the kitchen. Tenten watched her as she responded, "I don't know, whenever Cupid-chan over there decides I can go. I'll try and make it to the dojo but I don't think I'll be in to see Lee-kun today. Tell him I said 'hi' though."

"Alright, see you later."

Tenten watched him go out the door and suddenly felt an ominous presence. She turned around slowly to see Ino behind her. "What was that all about?"

Tenten shrugged. "Nothing."

"_Arg!_ You are the _only _person in the _entire_ world who could have a conversation like that with _Hyuuga Neji_ and then call it _nothing!_ He so likes you!"

Tenten shook her head. "Nah, I'm not his type."

Ino groaned and smacked her head. "I don't think there's much hope for you, Ten-chan, you're just too gullible." Tenten chose to ignore that and Ino went back to couple-watching. Shikamaru looked casual still, but there was a trace of nervousness beginning to show. Good, he hadn't asked her yet.

Temari seemed entirely comfortable, if a little distracted. They were talking about teachers, Shikamaru proving he knew Ino by providing small amounts of gossip.

"No way, Kakashi-sensei has a girlfriend? How does she put up with those pervert books?!"

"He's not that stupid; he puts them away when they go on dates at least." Shikamaru could practically feel Ino's eyes. "You know, he might be bringing her to the Fall Formal."

Temari smirked a little. "Cool, I might go just to see them."

Moment of truth. "We could go spy on them together." Shikamaru inwardly cringed. That had to be the _worst _way to ask a girl out_ ever._

Temari blinked. "Did you just ask me to the dance?"

"I guess…"

Shikamaru paled and Temari shocked. "Um, well, I'm sorry, but I've… I've got a boyfriend already, back in Suna. I'm sorry." She stood up. "I should go tell Ino-chan about this cake then get home. Gaara's got a band concert tonight."

Under any other circumstances, Shikamaru would have fallen out of his chair at this. Gaara? _Band? _But he couldn't do anything other than watch her walk away, pausing briefly to talk to Ino, and then leave through the front door. He stood up as well and headed in the same direction. Ino grabbed his arm.

"What happened?!"

"She has a boyfriend." Ino's eyes widened and she dropped his arm, allowing him to leave. Tenten stared at her friend.

"Now what?"

--

Neji sat in the dojo meditating, and it was empty as usual. It surprised him how few people came outside of scheduled times. You'd think they'd have more dedication. But when he thought about it, it just made those who _had_ that dedication all the more special.

His meditation musings were interrupted by Tenten's arrival. She merely waved before going to change. When she came back out he raised an eyebrow, asking how things had gone. She shook her head. "She's already taken. How's Lee-kun?"

"Sleepy. Not bald or puking yet, but tired." He stood up and moved his muscles a little to loosen up. They both fell into stance and Neji was surprised at how their communication had changed. It was more open and peaceful; less shouting, more sharing looks.

As they sparred up and down and around the mat he had to wonder when this had happened. Not that he wanted to change it.

Tenten used his lack of focus and gave him a solid roundhouse kick. He fell to the ground and she was quickly standing over him with a big grin. "Come on Neji-kun, pay attention!" That simple exchange made Neji's thoughts spin out even more. She was strong, but kind. And she called him Neji-kun…

He was quickly forced to pay attention, there was no way she was knocking him over twice and she came too close while he daydreamed. But still— the way she moved and her focus and passion. She was special.

He wasn't knocked over again, and as usual she called the match to an end. He changed quickly and then stood in between locker rooms waiting for her. She didn't see him as she came out, fixing her second bun up.

He coughed a little and she turned. "Hey Neji-kun."

"Tenten-chan… Tenten-chan do you want to go to the dance thing with me?" He flinched at 'the dance thing.' Couldn't he even act like he knew what he was asking her to?

But her expression of amazement quickly faded into a big smile. "Of course Neji-kun!"

He smirked a little and they walked silently out of the dojo. Neji had finally figured out what was so great about spending time with Tenten. There were things he had to say, things he just wanted to say, and things he didn't have to say because she knew.

Their silence was filled with words.

--

Hinata watched Sasuke and Sakura. Even though they were the only people left at the tables they didn't look like they cared. They were talking, Sakura quickly and brightly and Sasuke lightly and smoothly.

They looked happy. Hinata wished her and Naruto fit that seamlessly together. He had left a few minutes ago, and not said a word about couples or dating.

A few blocks down the road, Naruto was hitting himself for the same thing. "Stupid! You couldn't even drop a hint?! Nothing like 'oh too bad some people aren't as close as you and me, eh Hina-chan?' No! You just ranted on about nothing! Sure she laughed, but it's only so long before someone else beats ya to it!"

He growled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Tomorrow in class he'd ask her. He'd ask her if he had to stand on the desk and sing it in perfect rhyme! "Believe it!"

--

Sakura hummed to herself, feeling almost giddy. She caught a glimpse of Ino looking thoughtful, wiping the table across from the one Sakura was wiping.

_Oh no… All this time I've forgotten about Ino-chan. I always thought she'd get a guy first; but now Hina-chan has Naruto-kun, I have Sasuke-kun (squeal), and Ten-chan might have Neji-san. I need to find Ino-chan a date!_

_I'll get Tennie-chan and Hina-chan to help. They'll do it if only to show her what it's like being on the other end of a mission. But hopefully they'll do it cuz she's our friend…_

Sakura smirked and started going through guys for Ino.

--

Me: 1,762 words. Not too shabby…

Gaara: Owns nothing. Knows little. Thanks a lot people, I _really_ feel loved by how you're just letting me sit in this panda suit.

Me: Yeah! Review before he goes all homicidal again!

Gaara: …Thanks. So next chapter the girls go shopping for the dance. And Naruto faces the opportunity to fulfill the promise he made to himself. But even a dense, hyper boy has his limits, and will Naruto be unable to say what he feels?? And what about Sakura's idea? And what about Shikamaru?? Stay tuned for chapter 13 of _Drink of Life!_

Me: Just want to say thanks to all you amazing people! I can't believe this is chapter 12!!


	13. Chapter 13

Sakura could _hear_ the _Mission Impossible _theme playing in her head. She walked down the school hallway, looking at all of the boys out of the corner of her eye. She had a list of all the boys Ino knew and some she didn't, and was just making sure she hadn't missed anyone.

She reached the lunchroom and got her food, pulling out the list as she sat down. _So first all the ones that won't work… Well I guess Shikamaru would be too weird, which means Chouji would be too. And Lee is a definite NO._

She slowly kicked most of the names off the list and was left with Sai and Inuzuka Kiba. Not the most promising list ever, but Sakura was determined.

Tenten and Hinata sat down at the same time. Tenten tucked in but Hinata saw Sakura's list. "Saki-chan, what's that? And why are most of them crossed out?"

Sakura grinned in a very Ino-like way. "OK, time to let you two in! This is a list of guys we could set Ino up with, but most of them are either taken or totally not right. All I've got left is Sai and Kiba."

Tenten choked on her food and looked up. "Kiba? As in Inuzuka Kiba, the dog-boy?!"

"Well yeah… Sai is like Sasuke and Ino liked him, plus Sai doesn't talk to anyone else. But Kiba and Ino are alike, because she might not be the kind of person that needs an opposite. So either way she's covered."

Tenten shook her head and Hinata looked wary. The dark-haired girl voiced both their doubts. "So you've got both extremes—the person Ino would be if she was a boy (plus his dog) and her polar opposite. Doesn't that sound a little… extreme?"

Sakura just winked. "Don't worry girls, I've got a plan."

--

After school, Hinata was headed to Kunoichi Coffee. Being the innocent girl she was, she didn't notice someone watching her. Naruto was standing on the front steps to the school, following the Hyuuga girl with his eyes.

The blonde boy took three seconds to gulp before starting to run after her. "Hey! Hinata-chan!!"

She stopped and waited for him, smiling gently. "Yes, Naruto-kun?"

He caught up and flashed her his famous grin before it faded and he took a distinctly uncomfortable expression. "Umm, hey, Hinata-chan… would you like to… gotothedancewith… me?"

Her smile faltered. "What?"

He mentally smacked himself and cleared his throat. "Hinata-chan, do you want to go to the dance on Friday with me?"

Hinata did something very un-Hinata-like. She smiled more widely than Naruto had ever seen and gave him a big hug. "I'd love to, Naruto-kun!"

He blinked before hugging her back.

--

Tenten was standing Neji about twenty feet away. They both stared at the hugging couple. For a minute or so, neither one of them moved. Then the hug broke and the two started walking, hands locked.

Neji growled. "I'll kill him. He's not going to get the _chance _to hurt her, I'll kill him first!"

Tenten laughed and held him back. "Oh come on! They've had that coming _forever_ and then they didn't even kiss! Naruto is amazingly considerate, and he's your friend. If you don't trust him, who do you trust? Besides, they're so cute together."

He snorted and looked at her. "But if he ever hurts her—"

"You'll have to wait for me, Ino and Sakura to get through with him before we let you have a turn. Don't worry, either way he'll die. Although I think I might let you have him, since you've admitted you're protective." I took him a minute to realize she was teasing him.

He smiled a little and watched Naruto and Hinata move out of sight. He'd still have to give Naruto a talk, but he'd trust Tenten and wait till Hinata was occupied.

--

Ino stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "So tomorrow's an early out… We have to go shopping! We'll just open up at the normal time and shop when we're normally in school!"

Tenten looked up from her sweeping. "Count me out Ino-chan."

"As your boss I order all three of you to come shopping with me."

--

Tenten groaned as Ino and Sakura did rock-paper-scissors over which shop to go to first. Hinata was watching half-interestedly. Sakura cheered as she won and they seemed to have chosen the first stop on the Tour-de-Mall.

Despite Sakura having chosen the place, Ino seemed to be looking forward to it. "It's a great little dress shop—we might not have to go anywhere else!" She threw her hands in the air in a small cheer, but was surprised by someone else cheering.

Tenten liked the idea of only one place.

They reached the store and Ino and Sakura started running around. They seemed to have taken on the duty of choosing things for Tenten and Hinata as well. Tenten's eyes widened at their fervor. "Wow."

Hinata's eyes narrowed, "How do they know our sizes?"

"I'd be more surprised if they didn't."

Ino interrupted, "Tennie-chan, _look_ at this dress! It is so you! And if you don't like that I have these, so go start trying them on! And Hina-chan, I've got this one for you and Sakura's got some more." Even after unloading all of the dresses for Tenten and the one for Hinata, Ino still had a lot for herself. Sakura's pile was smaller, and Hinata probably had the least of all. Tenten envied her as they went into dressing rooms.

A few hours and two stores later, they all had dresses. Tenten's was a light creamy brown with gold and pink designs swirling from the bottom up to halfway up the stomach. It went to her knees and had a tank-top style top.

Sakura's was plain dark pink with spaghetti straps that went to just above her knees.

Hinata's had small sleeves and went a few inches past her knees. It was a dark purple with delicate lilac flowers all over.

Ino's looked similar to Hinata's, it was dark purple, but that was all they had in common. Ino's didn't quite pass her knees and had only one strap. The border between the bodice and the skirt was nearly invisible, giving it a flowy look. There was a white, lacy underskirt peeking out from the bottom of the skirt.

"Are we done now?" They had bought jewelry and make-up and shoes and Tenten was ready for some honest table-scrubbing.

Ino tapped her chin mockingly. "I think we are."

Tenten's obvious joy made the others smile. Sakura sighed contentedly as they walked out of the mall. "Well now we're ready to knock Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun and Neji-san out with our beauty," Tenten choked but Sakura ignored her, "And Ino will be asked to dance by every guy there, single or not!"

Ino rolled her eyes, but her smile was obvious. And while Hinata had paled and Tenten had freaked out, they were both secretly looking forward to the reactions from their almost-boyfriends.

--

Me: 1,181 words. A bit pathetic after I've left you all for so long… sob

Gaara: Oh get over it. They shouldn't be sad; you let me out of the panda suit while you weren't writing. And since you don't own anything and aren't making profit of this fanfic, you can updae whenever you feel like it.

Me: Right…

Gaara: Next time—Shikamaru and Lee come back into the picture! Shikamaru has shown some backbone and resolves to get over Temari, but how will the dance affect that? And the DANCE!! Romance should be seeping out of every pore, but will things go as planned?? And most of the plans have ended, but a new one is begun… and our heroines might not like it!


	14. Chapter 14

Hinata lay on her bed, flipping through a magazine that she hadn't actually looked at yet. Her dress hung on the door of her closet, looking gorgeous and perfect. She had eaten and showered and was waiting for the girls to come over and get ready.

The waiting was killing her, when would Sakura, Ino and Tenten show up?

As she finally threw the magazine against her wall, Neji opened her door, looking pained. "Your friends are here, and all of them are bouncing off the walls."

"ALL of them?! Even Tenten-chan?!"

"Even Tenten-chan. I'm going to go lock myself in my room until the guys get here, let me know if you need anything."

"OK, thanks Nii-san." Hinata waved and Neji went to his room just in time to avoid the three girls as they came running through the halls. Hinata winced as she thought of her father's reaction. Hopefully he'd forget by the time she got back from the dance.

Each girl had a plastic dry-cleaning bag that held their dresses and stuff, and Ino had a large box of make-up. They laid them down on Hinata's bed before Ino took over as Commander of the Preparations. "Alright, so first have to actually put the dresses on. So get 'em out of the bags girls!"

Sakura grumbled a bit at the order, but they all put the dresses on.

Ino gathered up all of the make-up when they were done and organized it on the floor. She looked at her 'troops' and looked thoughtful. "Hina-chan's up first, then Tennie-chan, then Forehead. And then Saki-chan will do my make-up." She sat Hinata down on her desk chair and grabbed some dark purple eye shadow. After that, all the colors she chose built on the dark purple and silver of Hinata's hair and eyes.

Ino finally leaned back and looked over Hinata. She put some bobby pins with small silver gems on the ends in Hinata's straight hair and pronounced her done. "Now sit still like a good girl and watch me work my magic on Tennie-chan." As she went to sit on the bed, Hinata caught sight of her reflection.

She gasped and Sakura grinned at her. "See Hina-chan? We always told you you were gorgeous. Now maybe you'll see it, I know Naruto will." She winked and Hinata blushed. But it was a good blush, and Hinata stole another look at her reflection. _Maybe I am pretty…_ She smiled again and sat down on the bed.

Ino and Tenten were having a small battle over everything Ino put on Tenten's face. Tenten wanted just light browns, but Ino was putting on darker browns and golds, and pink blush and lip gloss. Tenten wasn't happy.

She got even more unhappy and uncomfortable when Ino took out her buns. Her hair curled slightly from being kept up so long, and Ino just combed it out and made it curl a little more naturally before pronouncing it done. "See Tennie-chan, you look great!" She hauled the reluctant brunette over to Hinata's full length mirror and beamed at their reflections.

Tenten had to admit, she looked better than her norm. Not that she'd ever tell Ino that.

Sakura was up next, and she and Ino chatted about what to use on both of them. Ino used light pinks on Sakura, and sighed over her hair. "I guess I'll just find a prettier headband… Hinata, do you have anything dark pink?"

Hinata shook her head. "No, but when Hanabi wanted to be a 'normal girl' and brown contacts, she wore a lot of pink. Maybe she'll have something." Hinata went to her sister's room across the hall and asked about pink headbands.

Hanabi blinked and said blandly, "What shade?"

"Oh, um… A dark pink, like sunsets…" Hanabi paused and then went into her bathroom. She came out with three dark pink headbands, all only slightly different in shade and all plain. Hinata grinned a little. "Thanks Hanabi."

The younger girl just shrugged, although she looked pleased with herself, and closed her door. Hinata went back to her room and gave the headbands to Ino, who raised an eyebrow. "That girl has a nice sense of color…"

They found one that matched the dress and Sakura was done.

Sakura used dark blues and pink lip gloss on Ino, finishing quickly. Then she took the ponytail down and brushed through Ino's _long,_ blonde hair. And before they knew it, they were all done.

Ino looked at the group again and felt pleased. They had gone from normal girls to _knock-outs_. All thanks to her amazing expertise and color coordination.

She looked at the clock. "Well, that worked. We've only got five minutes till the guys get here and Neji comes out of his room."

Sakura looked up from playing with her bracelets. "You know that Sai-kun, Kiba-san and Shikamaru-san are coming with Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun, right?" Ino nodded absently and Sakura scowled. Not a sign of happiness for any of those guys. Not even Shikamaru, who was 

only tagging along because Sakura had made him go to the dance and he had no one better to go with. You'd think Ino would be happy that Shikamaru was going at all, but no…

There's no thanks for the good people in this world.

They all sat around and talked for five minutes, all of them on pins and needles except Ino. Tenten was beginning to wish she didn't have a date, and Hinata was just wishing they'd get here and end it.

Then a knock sounded on the door and all four of them jumped ten feet in the air. Ino recovered first and said quickly, "Don't come in! Who is it?"

"It's Neji. They're here, are you ready?"

Ino grinned in her evil master-mind, set-up-all-of-my-friends way. "Yeah, we'll be down right away. You can all wait by the bottom of the stairs, OK?" It wasn't a question as much as an order.

Neji's footsteps moved away and Tenten gave Ino a suspicious glance. "What are you doing?"

"We're just going to have a little show, that's all. Now come on!" She ushered them all out of the room and to the dark hallway. They stopped before they reached the light of the stairs and room below, and Ino winked before going forward and stopping at the top of the stairs.

She cleared her throat and looked at the assembled boys. She spoke as she went down, "After a long period of preparation, we have three lovely ladies waiting to go to the dance. They're going to come down one by one, and meet their dates. Ready?" She used her business voice, and noticed all of the guys were wearing nice clothing. And three particular boys looked particularly nervous.

Good, they were ready.

"First we have Haruno Sakura; smart, kind and pretty. Not to mention strong and independent… Lucky Sasuke!" She clapped and enjoyed the way Naruto's face paled at the reminder of Sakura's strength. He'd felt it before.

Sakura came down the steps, blushing slightly. Ino sighed as Sasuke nearly stopped breathing. It was cute, but if even these two acted like this… The rest of them were going to faint.

Sasuke went up as Sakura reached the bottom of the stairs and took her hand, pulling her to the side. Ino smirked before choosing quickly. Tenten or Hinata? The tomboy who was completely uncomfortable with the dress and the people watching? Or the shy girl who hated people staring and didn't know what to do?

Hinata was her masterpiece—she'd go last. "And now, the one and only Tenten! Strong, hard-working, independent and secretly gorgeous!"

A furiously blushing Tenten came down the stairs.

Neji's jaw dropped. Ino had a moment of self-satisfaction; she had made _Hyuuga Neji's_ jaw drop.

When Neji came up to get Tenten, he leaned in and whispered something and she stopped blushing. Ino squealed inside. They were too cute together.

"And finally… Hyuuga Hinata-- shy and kind, but inside her shell is a courageous and amazing girl!" Ino gave herself a pat on the back for that description as a red Hinata came down the steps.

All in all, Hinata's entrance was Ino's favorite. She was totally red, but it didn't disguise her natural paleness which the make-up and dress accented. And the dress and her hair and eyes… _Cha-ching!_ And Naruto… As she got about halfway down, Naruto cheered.

And as she reached the bottom, he came forward and Ino swore he was going to kiss her. But he seemed to restrain himself and just smiled in an almost insane way. Neji glared at him and the other guys looked at him like he _was_ insane.

But neither of them cared.

--

The group split up and went to the dance, Neji and Tenten getting there first. Neji watched the door like a hawk, waiting for Naruto and Hinata, until Tenten gasped and squeezed his arm. "Look!" She pointed and he followed her finger until he saw two familiar faces. Tenten was already pulling him towards them. "Lee-kun! Gai-sensei! You're here!!"

She jumped on Lee and gave him a hug, which he returned despite the brief grimace of pain. Gai's eye's flickered between Neji and Tenten, who was chatting rapidly with Lee, before he slid up to Neji. "Are you two a youthful couple now?" Neji nodded slowly and Gai beamed. "Have you shared your love?"

"What?"

Gai looked uncomfortable for the first time Neji had ever seen. "Have you _kissed _your youthful flower?"

"No!" Neji responded quickly and Gai raised an eyebrow so he added, "This is technically our first date."

"Ah… Will you kiss her?"

Neji paled but nodded. Gai gave him the nice-guy pose as Tenten noticed they were talking. "He seems alright Gai-sensei, you're doing good."

"Thank you for your approval, youthful flower!"

Neji spotted the rest of their group and he and Tenten headed over. As they reached them, the DJ started playing a song he didn't know.

Before he knew it, Ino had managed to get them all onto the dance floor. She was trying to cheer Shikamaru up while Kiba flirted with someone and Sai stared at the punch bowl in boredom.

The dance went off without much of a hitch. Karin was staring at Sasuke and Sakura, eyes narrowed, but Ino kept watch on her. Naruto and Hinata danced every dance, Hinata showing amazing stamina in keeping up with the blonde.

Tenten and Sakura managed to pull Neji and Sasuke into most of the dances they liked, the boys being oddly easy to convince.

Ino watched with satisfaction, occasionally glaring at Karin. But even that had a cat-like-satisfied edge.

--

Shikamaru was avoiding looking at Temari, who had brought her _boyfriend._

--

Sai was wondering if it was worth it to try and drown himself in the punch bowl.

--

Chouji and Lee were pigging out and singing along (in an off-key way) to most of the songs.

--

Karin was seething in her black dress. When had HER Sasuke-kun asked that THING out?!

And all of the thing's little friends were having their happily-ever-afters too. Even the pig was enjoying herself and flirting (if only in a joking way) with a few boys!

Well not if Karin had anything to say about it. No, this fairy tale was about to crash and burn…

--

Me: 1,904 words. That might be a record…

Gaara: Herbblade-chan owns nothing and will finish the dance in the next chapter. But how will the dance end?! And will there be romance?! Stupid question, of course there will be! But what will Karin do? And when it's all said and done, which couples will be left standing?!


	15. Chapter 15

Warning Romance and slightly mature content coming up. Just a head's up, so you can't say I didn't warn you.

--

The DJ put in a slow song and Tenten looked at Neji with a slight blush gracing her cheeks, just as she had for the past three slow dances. And as he'd done before, Neji took her hands and pulled her close, arms resting on the small of her back. It would never be said that Hyuuga Neji turned Tenten down for a slow dance, but it would never be said he tried anything that would make her mad either.

Heaven forbid Neji invoke Tenten's wrath.

Sakura actually chose to sit out this slow dance, the last five or so dances having been fast and she was thirsty. Sasuke was half glad and half regretful. A slow dance would have been a good time to talk to her seriously… But at the same time he wanted to talk to her outside.

Maybe he'd spirit her out after she'd gotten her drink.

Naruto and Hinata swayed in the center of the dance floor, Naruto humming along to the music. Hinata had long since ceased to hear her heart thump every time Naruto touched her, but she was feeling a little dazed as he hummed in her ear and gently pulled her in a swaying circle.

"Hey Hinata-chan?" His voice was soft and thoughtful and made Hinata's breath catch.

She fought down a stutter and replied just as quietly, "Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"Do you think your cousin is busy enough with Tenten that he won't notice if I kissed you?"

At first Hinata didn't understand the full implications of the question, and she turned her head to look behind her and her cousin and his date. "They look pretty hap—What?!" Her head snapped around, pale eyes wide and catching the light in a way that strengthened Naruto's resolve.

"Hinata-chan… Can I kiss you?"

Hinata felt time stop, Naruto's big blue eyes looking down at her, nervous but determined. They were still moving slowly, no one knew what was happening but them. She felt something slide into place, something that had been dramatically out of place for a long time.

So she moved, time still going slowly, raising to her tip-toes and putting her face near Naruto's. closer and closer until their lips met and her eyes closed of their own accord. Maybe it was fear of Naruto's reaction.

She was still feeling time as if every second was worth a minute, but she felt Naruto respond almost immediately, pulling her closer and leaning down, deepening the kiss. With her warped sense of time, Hinata could never have told anyone how long they stood there in the middle of the dance floor, kissing softly. She knew her arms moved up to wrap around Naruto's neck, and that the song wasn't over, but she didn't know how or when it had happened, or how she knew.

And then, simultaneously, they split apart. It was a mutual action, and they stayed in the same position, and Hinata found herself looking into Naruto's eyes, which had caught the light from the room and was reflecting them as if they were stars in the sky that was his eyes.

She gave him a small smile; he gave her a large one.

He tore his gaze away from her face for a few seconds to look to the side before turning back. Not only had he been the first to kiss his date that night, but Neji hadn't noticed. Or if he had noticed, he didn't care or Tenten had made him stay still.

Either way, as far as he was concerned, it was a total success.

--

Sasuke had been trying to think of a way to ask Sakura to come outside with him when he spotted a flash of yellow and indigo. "No way…"

Sakura looked up from her drink and followed his gaze to the middle of the gym floor. She let out a small squeal and grabbed his arm. "Ohmygosh, look at them! That is _soooo_ cute and romantic! I'm so happy we're having a sleep-over tomorrow, I _have _to talk to Hina-chan about this!!"

Sasuke kept his gaze on the dobe and his new girlfriend, mouth parting slightly in an outward expression of shock.

All plans aside, Sasuke pulled Sakura out of the gym. "I need some air." She giggled but complied and Sasuke almost wanted to thank Naruto.

Almost, but definitely not.

--

Neji was blissfully unaware of anything going on while he danced with Tenten. Tenten had spotted it, but was prevented from taking a good long look by the need to not alert Neji of what was happening. She'd also seen Sakura's face though, so she was sure to get a play-by-play from someone later.

As the next song started she made a face. "Oh I don't like this one. C'mon Neji-kun, let's get a drink." As she moved to pull away, Neji caught her arm.

"Why don't you like this song? It sounds nice, and it's slow. Let's dance." He pulled her close again and started moving in rhythm with the music.

"It's tacky Neji-kun, listen to it."

"We're dancing to it. I've never heard it before; I don't see why you'd hate it." Tenten made a face at this but gave up and let Neji move her in a never-ending circle slowly. "Hey, Tenten-chan, why are my cousin and Naruto smiling at each other in such a close proximity?" Neji's voice was even, but Tenten heard the undercurrent.

She could have lied, but it was better to force him to accept it now. "Because, Neji-kun, that's what couples do."

"But Naruto said he didn't consider people a couple until they'd—He didn't. I'll kill hi—"

Tenten was now the one holding Neji back, her expression darkening. "Oh no, you don't. First of all, it's about time. You're just too protective to admit it, but this has been coming on for ages. Secondly, you said we just _had_ to dance this dance, so you're staying right here for the whole stupid song." Her chocolate eyes were daring him to refuse and he didn't take the dare, but he made a mental note to make things _perfectly clear_ to Naruto later.

Even if Hiashi never knew about their relationship (and Neji didn't know when Hinata planned on telling him), Neji would make sure Naruto never did a single thing to Hinata that would make her cry.

Tenten rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. "Stop glaring Neji-kun, you're being too pessimistic. They're good together."

Neji shifted his eyes from his cousin to Tenten and felt a little sorry to see was glaring distractedly at his shirt. "Sorry Tenten-chan, I'll leave it alone for now."

"Good." She stretched slightly to kiss his cheek and he let her, but as she pulled away he twisted his head and caught her lips. She gasped slightly and he leaned in towards her more, ivory eyes not closing but staring into hers.

She pulled away slowly, mouth still open and eyes wide as plates. "What—Neji-kun—You… you…"

He smirked a little. "It's called a kiss Tenten-chan. It's the thing that you shrugged off Naruto doing to my cousin, although you don't seem so indifferent now."

"Hyuuga Neji, you are a jerk," she said, but there was no bite to her words. "Kissing me just to prove a point."

"Oh trust me Tenten-chan, there was more to it." He was still smug and smirking, taking the fact that she hadn't run off as a good sign.

His final good sign came when her eyes darted down the floor before returning to his face, totally unguarded and unsure. He took his chance again and leaned in to capture her lips, this time closing his eyes.

Tenten closed her eyes too, letting his kiss show her that the first had indeed been for more than to prove a point.

_Ino's going to have fun at Truth or Dare tomorrow, I'm sure she's seen everything…_ Tenten thought, but it quickly fled her mind as Neji pulled away.

She swallowed and licked her lips nervously. Neji smiled, a real smile and not the smirk of the past few moments, and pulled her off the dance floor as the song ended. "I think we'll get that drink you wanted now."

--

Sasuke and Sakura spent a few minutes exploring the empty school, trying to find a door that would let them back in. They finally decided on the front door, walking around the outside of the school. When they got to the back and away from any music seeping out of the walls, Sasuke realized the true depth of the position he was in.

He was with a girl (and not just any girl but Haruno Sakura).

Alone.

In a romantic setting in what qualified as a date.

Wasn't this the part in the movies where something romantic always happened?! And knowing Ino, the blonde and all of her friends (especially her best friend) would know all of those chick movies by heart. Sakura would be _expecting_ something romantic and perfect.

But Sasuke _wasn't_ romantic or perfect. He was better at skipping emotional parts in video games or movies than writing poetry. And better at arguing with his brother or father then actually agreeing with a girl.

In short, he was screwed. Sure as he was an Uchiha, he was going to be smacked and left before he even figured out what to do. His brain had already shorted out, simply repeating '_oh crap'_ over and over and over again like a broken record.

They rounded another corner and Sakura seemed unaware of both the expectations of the moment or Sasuke's mental turmoil. She was enjoying looking at the school she knew fairly well in the moonlight. Everything was warped and changed, like a different place.

They made it back around the building without Sasuke's head coming off, and Sakura still seemed happy. After all, Sasuke reminded himself almost bitterly; she thought he was just trying to get away from Naruto. She didn't know how long he'd planned for this moment just to have his brain freeze up then go into overload.

He felt like a fool as they reentered the building. He was going through the stages of a new plan when a figure in black in front of their path caused them both to stop.

Karin looked pretty; Sasuke had to admit it to himself. She had done little with her hair or make-up, and her glasses caught the light as always. But her black dress was silky looking and had a v-neck, the skirt coming down the middle of her thighs and gold bracelets clinking on her wrists when she moved her arms or hands at all.

But there was a glint in her eye he didn't like. A glint covered by a coy smile when she spotted them. Her voice came out smooth and light when she said, "Oh there you are, I'd been looking for you!" She sounded a little superior, berating them in a teasing manner. For a few seconds Sasuke saw her personality as mirroring Ino's. "I was wondering if I could steal Sakura-san from you for a moment, Sasuke-kun?"

Without waiting for an answer she came over and took Sakura's arm in a sisterly manner, steering her into a different hall. Sakura offered no resistance, she had been expecting Karin to be nasty, or if there was kindness it would be to lure _Sasuke _away. Her confusion showed just barely on her face and Karin seemed to ignore it. They turned again, out of Sasuke's sight and Karin patted Sakura's arm with her right hand, her left resting near her stomach as she and Sakura linked elbows. Had it been anyone else, Sakura would have been tempted to break into a skip and say "Follow the yellow-brick road!"

But she didn't. Karin broke her out of her thoughts, saying, "I just wanted to say, Sakura-san, that I've taken myself out of the race for Sasuke-kun. Anyone could see he's into you now. Who cares if he used to be into me and we got a little _further_ than I hope you will? No, he's all yours. I was actually hoping we could be friends, you seem so smar—"

"What did you say?!"

"I said you were smart Sakura-san, surely you've heard that before?"

"No—before that. The bit about you and Sasuke-kun, and…" Sakura paled visibly, and Karin bit her lip to stop the smirk.

"Oh—I'm sorry I didn't want to tell you about that, please forget I said anything at all—"

"No! Tell me, what did you do??" Sakura's voice had begun to rise and Karin's smirk was getting harder to bite down, but she did it and managed to pull on a sad face.

"Oh, I told you, it was nothing really! We were young and stupid and Sasuke's learned, trust me! It's why he broke up with me actually, he was uncomfortable about it." She added, speaking as though she was rambling and forgetting who she was talking to, "Although at the time he seemed much less embarrassed and mu—"

Sakura broke out of Karin's grasp and stared at her, emerald eyes wide with shock and horror. "I—I don't believe you! Sasuke-kun wouldn't—He—" She ran past Karin, not wanting to go back towards Sasuke.

As she ran, Karin let out her smirk. "You don't believe me? Oh, but I think you do." She headed back towards Sasuke, putting on a worried look. After all, her new friend had run off without cause, seeming distraught. "_Poor_ girl. Ah well, that's the way of the world." And again she let out a smirk before smothering it with her concerned look.

--

Sakura fought back tears and walked around the edge of the gym, head down and hair falling to cover her eyes in shadow. She found Ino, who was staring at Neji and Tenten with a calculating look. When she spotted Sakura she gasped. "Saki-chan! What happened, what's going on?!"

Later, Sakura would be grateful Ino hadn't asked 'are you alright?' Ino knew her better than that, and they both knew so, so Ino didn't even bother with it.

Sakura bit back a sob but Ino saw it fly over her face. "OK, just stay _right here_ and I'll get Ten-chan and Hina-chan. We'll go to my house and have a sleepover tonight. You can borrow my PJs and Ten-chan and Hina-chan will get you some of your clothes when they go to get their things, 

OK?" Not waiting for an answer Ino let go of Sakura, she had been half-hugging her, she went right across the dance floor to Tenten.

"Ten-chan! Sorry, but we need to go, something's happened to Saki-chan and I need you to drive me, her and Hina-chan to my house. We'll take my car, just please hurry!" Tenten's eyebrows creased, but one glance at Sakura had her jumping to action.

"Alright, you get Hina-chan; I'll get Saki-chan to the car. Give me the keys." As Ino reached into her purse, Tenten pecked Neji on the cheek. "See you later, OK?"

"Yeah, OK." Neji was still slightly in a state of shock.

Naruto and Hinata reacted similarly to Neji and Tenten respectively, and Naruto and Neji slowly made their way over to the guys who had gone stag.

Sakura and Tenten left through a side door that led outside, Ino and Hinata following. Tenten had her arms around Sakura and wasn't saying anything. But when Sakura's body started to shake with sobs, Tenten stopped and waited for the other two to catch up, rubbing the pinkette's back softly.

By the main door to the gym, Sasuke came barreling down the hallway. He slowed down as he reached the open doors, looking around frantically. Karin had vanished, and so had all four of the girls.

He spotted his friends and went over to them quickly.

But all his questions and confusion got from them were shaking heads and a few pitying glances. Sasuke left soon after that.

--

Me: 2,687 words. That is TOTALLY a record!!

Gaara: Yay. Herbblade-chan owns nothing, so be cool, don't sue. And at the request of several people, I'm out the suits! Now THAT's something to be happy about!

Me: You know what we should be sad about? The NEXT CHAPTER, hint, hint, hint.

Gaara: Right… Next chapter: the girls try to figure out what happened to Sakura and then if it could possibly be true or not. The guys try and figure out what happened period. Someone smacks Sasuke, Sasuke gets mad at someone else, and Neji REALLY scares Naruto! So stay tuned!

Me: Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner than this one. Sorry it took so long, but I was on vacation, then I had to get back in the 'zone,' then write. Also, the warning at the beginning WASN'T counted in the word count, and was there just for warning. I don't care if you don't think it was necessary, I decided to tell you. Also, I DON'T have pictures of the girls' dresses. Sorry but I made them up and I don't want to try to hunt them down.

Review please!!


	16. Chapter 16

Tenten pulled into Ino's driveway smoothly, and despite Hinata's worried presence beside her and Ino's quiet murmuring to the silent Sakura in the back seat, she felt small sense of satisfaction at her driving skills.

Sakura hadn't said a word since Tenten had led her out of the school. She hadn't made a sound period, if she'd cried it had been silent. The pinkette was breathing and possibly blinking, it was hard to tell through her hair. Somewhere along the line her headband had fallen out and now her hair was falling into her face even on the one occasion she raised her head.

Ino had pulled her best friend close once they'd gotten into the car, putting an arm around her shoulders and letting the girl's head rest on the blonde's shoulder. Ino carefully separated herself from her friend and leaned her against the seat before opening her door to go into her house and tell her mother that there had been a change of plans. The sleepover was tonight and might not be a one-night thing.

Ino's mother might have put up a fuss, but Hinata had proven to be an adept little nurse and with, Tenten's help, managed to get Sakura into the house quickly. The Hyuuga girl led Sakura up to Ino's room, giving Ino's mother a quick, sad, little smile.

Tenten gave Mrs. Yamanaka the same smile, a courtesy only in all of the depression that had swallowed the four girls. She did speak though, "I'm sorry Yamanaka-san, we had a little incident at the dance and Ino-chan insisted we change our plans to help Saki-chan." She flashed Ino a real smile before heading up to see if Hinata needed any more help.

The two came down a minute or two later, having given Ino and her mother just enough time to exchange looks. The older blonde was already heading to the kitchen to see if they had any hot chocolate—she had recognized the look in Sakura's eyes and knew warmth and chocolate would be all she could do as a friend's mother.

Ino was looking at her mother with a sort of abstract fondness, and Hinata smiled slightly. Everyone knew that Ino was on better terms with her father than her mother. She was insanely like them both, but what she'd gotten from her mother was her pride and stubbornness, meaning even a small disagreement could be blown out of proportions.

Ino looked away from her mother and Tenten spoke, "We're going to our houses and Saki-chan's house to get some stuff and tell people where we're going."

Somehow a portion of the heavy atmosphere lifted and Ino felt it appropriate to say, "Hoping to meet up with Neji-san at Hina-chan's house, Tennie-chan?"

Tenten just laughed and headed for the door. Hinata stayed a little longer though, to say, "Going out with Nee-san has changed Tenten-chan from when she just liked him. She's much more open about it now."

"Yeah, hopefully that'll help with the big talk we're going to have to do when you two get back. Oh, and tell Ten-chan that if you want to stop at Naruto-san's house Saki-chan and I don't mind waiting a little longer."

Hinata flushed scarlet and escaped through the door. Ino smirked a little before heading up to her room and her depressed best friend.

--

Tenten's home was closest so they went there first, and Hinata would admit to being surprised. She'd only seen Tenten's house once, and that was from the outside. It was decent sized and presentable enough. But on the inside, it was chaos. There were three young children running around and a TV blaring from the next room and a woman bustling around, occasionally yelling at the kids or the man lying on the couch trying to sleep.

Tenten headed straight for a flight of stairs that went to the basement. They passed the washer and dryer and made it to her room. Again, Hinata blinked. Apparently Tenten liked the thermostat up high, her room was very cozy. Other than the heat, it was just messy enough to count as messy and she seemed to have very few knick-knacks. She changed quickly, throwing her dress and things onto the unmade bed before gathering everything she'd need quickly. She had her own bathroom and washed her face off before grabbing a toothbrush and comb and throwing them into the bag carelessly.

"OK, we'll just talk to Jenna-san and then off to Saki-chan's house."

They went back up the stairs and Tenten took the sharp turn into the living room where her foster parents were easily. "Jenna-san! I'm staying at Ino-chan's house tonight and maybe tomorrow night, OK?!"

Hinata now knew where Tenten got her loud voice, if all of her foster homes had been this loud, you'd get used to having to yell just to be heard.

The woman, Jenna, looked up briefly. "Alright hun, have fun. Call me if you need anything." The man waved without moving from the couch and Tenten waved back. As they left, she stopped the three kids and flicked them all on the head.

"Have fun midgets."

They ran off without saying anything, but the smallest one looked a little sad. The two teens went back out to Ino's car and climbed in. As Tenten turned the keys, Hinata commented, "They seemed nice."

Tenten nodded. "One of the best foster homes I've been in. Except maybe the one with Lee, but that was because I met Lee and got into the dojo. This one is… Homey."

They rode in silence the rest of the way, but Hinata found she didn't pity her friend like she would have expected herself to. She had found a home.

They reached Sakura's house and Tenten explained to her parents (the edited version that didn't involve Sakura being depressed and helpless) while Hinata got her things. Hinata was learning a lot of things about her friends from their rooms. She had been to Sakura's room before, but Sakura had repainted from its pink theme to a green and blue one. They were light greens and blues, but still.

Her room was neat except for things like Sakura's bag and a few clothes lying next to the closet.

They left Sakura's house and Tenten sighed openly. "I'm glad we didn't tell them about Sasuke-can or anything, but I felt pretty guilty while I was doing. Still, we should sort this out before we make them want to have the Uchiha arrested or something. Since we still don't know what he did and all."

Hinata giggled and nodded. She was dreading going to her house, mainly because she'd have to explain to her father that her plans had changed. Hyuuga Hiashi liked knowing things far in advance. But like everything people dread, it came and Tenten pulled into Hinata's driveway.

Hinata undid her seatbelt and went to open the door, but Tenten stopped her. "Hey, before we deal with this, what do you want me to do? I can stay here; I can help you with your dad, or anything else if you want me too."

Hinata felt a rush of gratitude that Tenten was making sure she had everything under control before thinking about Neji (Hinata had hear Ino mention the couple's kiss when she was trying to cheer Sakura up in the car).

She shook her head, feeling a strange confidence. "No, I'm OK Tenten-chan. You can talk to Neji-nee-san if he's here."

Tenten didn't hide the grin, but it turned into a smirk when she remembered Ino's words. "OK, thanks. You want to stop by Naruto's on the way back?" Hinata turned scarlet and Tenten chickled. "How about we decide once we've got your stuff?"

Hinata nodded and opened her door. They went in and Hinata made it to her room without seeing Hiashi. Tenten stuck with her and they hadn't seen Neji either, so Tenten found herself looking at Hinata's lilac room. It was pretty, very airy and open and neat. She looked at some figurines while Hinata changed in her bathroom and gathered her stuff.

They made it to the door before Hinata saw her father. He spotted them first though, so he got to open the conversation. "Where are you going Hinata?"

"Oh—Father! I- I'm going to Ino-chan's house; we moved our sleepover up so it's tonight. It might last more than one night as well, we don't know yet."

His pale eyes were narrowed and his expression stern, but it hadn't changed from the moment they first saw him. Tenten found herself wondering if he blinked at all. "Why did this happen?"

Hinata gulped, but when she spoke it came out steady, if a little quiet. "Something happened to Sakura-chan. We don't really know what, but we think it had something to do with Sasuke-san and we want to help her. She really needs us Father."

As she spoke, Neji came out a different hallway, holding a bag similar to his cousin's. Tenten spotted him and met his eyes before looking back at Hinata and her father.

"Surely Tenten-san and Ino-san will be enough to help Sakura-san. You should stay here tonight."

Hinata had seen Neji too, and like Tenten she looked back at her father without saying anything. "No, Father. Sakura-chan is my friend, and she needs my help. I can't turn my back on her for anything, even if you're right and I can't do anything." She met her father's eyes and held them for a few seconds before going out the door.

Tenten bowed to the stunned man and said quietly, "She's right sir. Ino-chan and I can only cheer Saki-chan up so much. Hinata is the one who always understands and helps the rest of us get it. Especially when it's Saki-chan and something like heartbreak—Ino-chan and I are way too blunt." And she left too. Neji followed her, pausing only to bow to his uncle.

"Tenten-chan!"

"Oh—Neji-kun! Where're you going?"

Hinata stopped and looked back at the two. She decided that she could find out whatever Neji told Tenten later and got into the car, the closest she could go to leaving them alone.

Neji's eyes took his cousin's movements in without leaving Tenten's face. They were about a foot apart, but Tenten found herself pushing down a blush.

"I'm going to Naruto's. He decided since all either went stag or got abandoned," He smirked, but not unkindly, "That we should have a party at his house. Of course Naruto's definition of party usually means Truth or Dare till three in the morning and no dancing or music whatsoever. What were you too saying about Sakura-san?"

"We don't really know what happened yet, but we're all staying at Ino-chan's tonight." She paused and looked down for a few seconds before looking back towards his face. "I have to go, Saki-chan and Ino-chan are waiting, and Hina-chan is waiting in the car. I'll talk to you once we figure out what's going on, OK?"

Neji felt a weird disappointment in the pit of his stomach but let it go and nodded once. "Alright, see you later." He headed to his car and Tenten went back to Ino's car. She slid into the driver's seat and rested her head on the steering wheel for a few moments before Hinata coughed.

"What did he say?"

Tenten jumped a little before relaxing and reaching for her seatbelt. "Nothing much. But all the guys are staying at Naruto's tonight, so we probably shouldn't stop over there or we'll be interrogated. Sorry." She gave her friend an apologetic smile and turned the car before shifting into drive and pulling out into the street.

Hinata shook her head a little. "No, it's alright. I'll call him tomorrow. For now we'll focus on Sakura-chan."

"Agreed."

--

The four girls were sitting/laying on Ino's floor, sipping Ino's mother's special hot chocolate. Ino spoke first. She was sitting Indian style in a pair of pink pajamas, her make-up and nice clothes all off, and her hair pulled into a shining blonde braid. Sakura was wearing very similar pajama's, but she was leaning on the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around. Ino looked straight at her. "Forehead, time to spill, what on Earth happened to you?!"

Sakura took a deep breath and found a place to start. "Well, Sasuke-kun and I had gone to get a drink and we were watching people dance. We saw Hina-chan and Naruto-san… And you two kissed." She paused as they all looked at the beet red Hinata. Ino looked smug, Sakura looked vaguely amused, and Tenten looked shocked. Before anyone else said anything, Sakura went on. Ino made a note to bring that up again later before turning her attention back to Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun said he need some air so we went outside and walked around the school. It was very pretty, the sun had just set and everything was silvery… We went around once and Sasuke-kun seemed kind of fidgety. I would have gone around again to see if it helped, but he seemed to want to go inside, so we did. We met up with Karin," Ino hissed but didn't say anything, "And she said she wanted to talk to me. She said she had given up on Sasuke-kun and that we should be friends. But then she said that she and—That she and Sasuke-kun had—Had—" Sakura broke off pointedly and Ino hissed loudly.

"That liar!! Did she have any proof Saki-chan?! Otherwise we are NOT believing her, that little…" Ino strangled the air and her eyes flashed.

Sakura looked teary again, but managed to say, "Well everyone knows they went out, who's to say that they didn't…"

Tenten shook her head. "I'll say it. Look Saki-chan, has he even _kissed_ you yet? You said he was fidgety—he was probably nervous! Karin's just an airhead."

Hinata seemed to agree at first, but then she saw Sakura's still sad eyes and paused. "Wait… Saki-chan that is the reason you were so broken up, right?"

Sakura shook her head. "I don't know!! I don't think I believed her, but for a split second… I… And then I wondered what part of me could believe that and I felt horrible. But then I wondered when he'd ever given me reason to think that and I… thought if I could believe it then maybe… he could have… And then I thought about how even after they broke up he let Karin hang around and flirt with him… and I couldn't think of a single reason why…"

She finally broke down and started sobbing again, but she kept talking. "And then I felt pathetic, that it mattered so much. Was I really that dependant?! Did I need him to be devoted to me? But how could I like a guy who I suddenly had so many doubts about… And I didn't know what to do so I ran and… saw Ino and then we came here and I just couldn't think straight…" As she sobbed and all three of the other girls tried to comfort her without knowing the answers to her questions, Ino's mom came into the room.

"Girls, there is a group of boys outside, one of whom seems to be determined to see Sakura-chan, even if he has to break a few doors down."

Ino's eyes flashed at the thought of Sasuke and an opportunity to set him straight. She stood up quickly and headed for the door. "Thanks Mom." Tenten was right on her heels and Sakura realized that even Hinata had stood up and was marching for the door.

"Hey, guys! Wait!" She stood up and scrambled after them.

The all reached the door, the first three all ignoring Sakura. Ino threw the door open and saw Sasuke, and a group of insure boys next to him. Even Neji looked like he'd told Sasuke this was a bad idea. When they saw Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru edged away. Lee and Neji did the same when they saw Tenten, and all the boys edged away when they saw even Hinata's pale eyes were blazing.

Soon Sasuke was standing alone before the three girls. Sakura had stayed inside the house. She could see the outside in the light but they couldn't see her.

Unsurprisingly, Ino spoke first. "Get away from my house."

Sasuke was just as stubborn, "No. Where's Sakura-chan?"

"Look, take your friends and get AWAY. FROM. MY. HOUSE! You don't have any right to be here Uchiha, get out of here!!"

"No, I want to see Sakura."

Tenten and Hinata spoke at the same time. Tenten's words were fiercer, but Hinata's tone was icy and rivaled Neji at his worst.

"Get lost, jerk!!"

"Back off Uchiha, Saki-chan doesn't want to see you."

"No."

Ino's eyes narrowed even further and she turned on her heel, going back to the door. She took Sakura's hand and pulled her into the light. Her disheveled hair had red-rimmed, horribly sad eyes were obvious, as was the way she held the hand Ino wasn't gripping up by her face in a very pre-Tenten's-influence-Hinata-like pose. "You see this Uchiha! This is what you did, and I think it's enough for one night! Now get going!"

Sasuke seemed stunned. "…Sakura? Sakura, what happened?!"

Hinata remembered Neji had once told her that her eyes revealed the truth about her character and her fate. Well Neji wasn't the only person who could see the truth in people's eyes. Hinata had seen Tenten's eyes gleam over whenever she felt emotional pain. She had seen Ino's eyes betray her feeling of loneliness when she thought people weren't looking after their missions had ended. She had seen Sakura's eyes dull with an old pain when a girl named Ami ordered her around at the shop.

Since Ami was a customer, and she didn't know a thing about matchmaking, and she couldn't fix such old wounds; Hinata had stayed silent and helpless about everything she had seen. Even when Neji locked himself in his room and his eyes showed an unbearable pain on the anniversary of his father's death every year, Hinata didn't say or do anything.

But this time was different. This time, Sakura's pain wasn't hidden. It was so overwhelming that the normally cheery girl had given into it and it was there for anyone to see. Even Naruto could see it, even people who didn't know Sakura or knew little of how a girl's mind worked could see it.

And this time, this time Hinata could do something about. She pushed past the silently shaking Ino and the tense Tenten and the still Sakura. She took three steps without having to push past anyone and made it to Sasuke.

She looked him straight in the eye, and raised her arm. She smacked him. A loud, ringing slap that doesn't cause the recipient to fall over or even want to fight back. She could have done worse. She could have decked him, sent him spinning to the ground. But somehow, this seemed much more fitting.

As the Uchiha's eyes widened and his hand flew to his cheek where she'd struck him, she turned and went back to her friends. She looked Sakura in the eye and said, "Now you can do whatever you feel is right about this. But at least he's felt some of your pain."

She went and stood next to Tenten, who clapped her on the shoulder silently. That smack would go down in the bunned girl's memory for the rest of her life and beyond, and they were so talking about it later that night.

Hinata met Neji's eyes and saw they were almost as wide as Sasuke's. She gave him a small smile and he shook his head, seeming almost amused. The Hyuuga boy looked at his blond friend and leaned down to talk right into his ear. "OK Naruto, I have two pieces of advice for you. One is to never make my cousin mad. Uchiha over there got off easy. She could have beaten him to a pulp if she really wanted to. My other piece of advice… You see Sakura-san over there? See how unhappy she looks? If you _ever_ make my cousin look even _half_ that depressed or lost, then I will personally hunt you down and rip your organs out. Got it?"

Naruto nodded soundlessly, his face paler than Neji had thought possible.

Satisfied he had gotten his point across; Neji looked up just in time to see Sakura had opened her mouth.

"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun… I need more time to think…" And she fled back inside, Hinata following and ready to help if needed.

Tenten threw a disgusted glare and the black-eyed boy before following slowly. Ino was right on her tail and slammed the door behind her.

Shikamaru let out a huge sigh. "I was sure they were going to kill us all. I can't believe I'm still _alive_…" Chouji nodded, taking in chips at an inhuman speed.

All the boys turned to leave and Sasuke went with them. He let his head hang forward, but his eyes were bright. It was late now, but as soon as he could, he was going to Karin's house. He was going to _make_ her tell him what she'd done to Sakura.

And then he'd fix it. And maybe set Hinata on Karin… His cheek still hurt and he realized Shikamaru had been right. If this was _Hinata_ with just a _slap…_ then what could Ino or Tenten do with punches or kicks??

And for the first time in a while, Uchiha Sasuke decided he didn't want to find out.

--

Me: 3,641 words!! starts hyperventilating I'm proud of this chapter! My brother told me he couldn't imagine Hinata slapping Sasuke, but I think I did a pretty good job with it...

Gaara: Herbblade-chan owns nothing, except the plot and Hinata's amazing smack. In the next chapter, Sasuke goes to find Karin. Neji and Tenten talk, Naruto is shy, Hinata is shy, and Ino beats some sense into Shikamaru's head. Will Sasuke and Sakura ever reconcile? And what about the other couples? Will Shikamaru try to kill the Suna boyfriend? Of course not, he's too lazy… But still, what'll he do with his newly opened eyes?

Me: Review, pretty please? Reviews feed me, and a starving person can't write good chapters at all, not to mention fast!


	17. Chapter 17

Sasuke paced around Naruto's room, the blond himself lying on his bed on his back. "Hey, Teme it's like two in the morning, can we turn the lights off and go to bed now? The only reason my Mom hasn't tried to kill us yet is because she's already gone to bed! Seriously, if we're still awake when she wakes up I'm going to be in _so. Much. Trouble!_ I mean, have you ever _seen_ my mom get mad?! It's like an explo—"

Sasuke interrupted, "I've seen your mom before and I've seen her get mad at you. But I don't think that staying up all night will bring on her wrath. She can't get any madder than when you set your curtains on fire anyway."

Naruto muttered something about how Sasuke didn't know his mother at all, but let the Uchiha continue to pace.

Another few minutes passed before Naruto spoke again. "Can you at least pace in the dark and pretend to have slept once Mom wakes up? Dad won't care what we do, he's like Pervy Sage; he figures that if I do anything that'll be a serious problem he'll be able to tell before I manage to do it." Sasuke ignored yet another reference to Naruto's friend the 'Pervy Sage,' whom he had never met. With Naruto it was best to not ask. Sasuke just kept pacing and didn't turn the lights off.

Eventually Naruto put his covers and pillow over his head and went to sleep.

He woke up at about six in the morning to Sasuke shaking him. "There's daylight, I'm leaving."

"Wait, Teme, wha're you doing'?" Naruto tried pushing himself to his feet to follow his best friend, but Sasuke was already out the door. Just as the blond got off his bed, his feet tangled in his blankets and he fell over with a loud _THUMP._ Sasuke let himself give a small smile at the noise as he went through the front door. His face went back to its accustomed frown as he headed for Karin's house though.

He doubted he'd have a problem getting Karin to talk to him, but getting the information out of her would be tricky and Sasuke wasn't going back near Sakura or her friends until he knew why they all suddenly hated him.

These thoughts got him to Karin's house; a pale yellow building with a brown roof and garage door. It was 6:40 now and Sasuke's knock on the door was answered by Karin herself. The redhead looked a little odd in her bathrobe, her hair was clean but she still had bags under her eyes. She brightened up quickly at the sight of Sasuke though.

"Sasuke-kun!!" She looked as if she'd jump on him, but he put a hand up and kept her firmly away from him.

"What did you say to Sakura?"

"I'm so happy to see yo—What?" Her smile dimmed a little, her expression changing to confusion. For a moment Sasuke felt sorry for her. It reminded him of what Hinata could have been like if Naruto had stayed oblivious for much longer. Unrequited love; even he understood the pain.

He mentally shook himself. She had twisted it and was responsible for hurting an innocent girl with the same feelings as herself. (Or so Sasuke hoped.)

"I said, 'What did you say to Sakura?' She ran away from me and is now refusing to talk to me. What did you do?"

Karin blinked and a strange emotion flew across her face. Sasuke was inclined to think it was satisfaction, but he also thought he saw regret and a touch of bitterness. But the redhead's voice was level. "I told her about us. I just told her about our first kiss—you remember how you broke up with me soon after? Well I told her the absolute truth. It's not my fault if she chose to interpret it wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"I told her we got further than I hoped you and she would. I didn't tell her it was a kiss, but it's what I meant. Girl's first kisses are so precious, you know."

Sasuke stood still for a moment; his mouth open to ask Karin what on earth she was talking about, when it hit him.

His first reaction was to gag and go wash his mouth out before going to see a very good therapist at the very thought. Then he realized that this was what Sakura had heard as well and he turned and sprinted off Karin's property. He'd deal with her later.

Ino's house was a fair distance away, and Sasuke wasn't sure of where it was, but he found it eventually and rang the doorbell about five times before leaning against the wall of the house nearest him. The door swung open to reveal a curious looking Ino and a popcorn-holding Tenten. The sounds of TV laughter came from the living room behind them and Sasuke doubted they'd gotten any sleep.

"I need… to see… Sakura… right now…" He was still panting from his run and was relieved to see Hinata and Sakura appear behind the other two. He was even more relieved to see none of them were going to try and kill him. For the moment. "Sakura! Karin told me what she… told you. It's not true, I swear. She told me… She said it about when we kissed and let you think it 

was about whatever else. And I nearly threw up, Sakura, I really did." Sasuke broke off in his rant to plead with his eyes and continue to catch his breath.

Sakura stared at him. Ino, Tenten and Hinata shared a look before sneaking back into the house with a bad imitation of what Ino called 'ninja stealth skills.'

Sakura gulped before speaking softly, "Can I trust you?"

Sasuke nodded in blunt way that was more characteristic of him than his earlier rambling.

Sakura accepted it with a small smile. "I'll talk to you later then. Right now I have to start the _real_ sleepover with the girls. How about I come pick you up later and we'll go to the park?" He nodded again and she shut the door quietly.

He should feel rejected—she'd shut the door and left him alone for awhile while she had 'girl time.' But he didn't feel rejected. In fact, he felt like going home and taking a nap. Or maybe go to Naruto's and take a nap after enjoying watching the Uzumaki try to hide his lack of sleep from his mother.

All it had taken was a 'Can I trust you?'. And she had trusted him.

And that made him happy.

--

Sakura refused to answer any questions about herself and Sasuke, sharing only that they might be OK. She changed the subject easily by attacking Hinata and Tenten. "Because, what I'm really interested in is what Naruto-kun and Hina-chan were doing on the dance floor. And what Tennie-chan could have possibly done to keep Neji-san from killing Naruto-kun."

Ino brightened up and began giving Sakura a blow-by-blow of the whole thing. Tenten buried her face in her pillow and Hinata went pale before turning redder and redder as the tale went on. Her pale eyes widened as Ino went on to Tenten and Neji's 'moment,' giving the older girl a big-eyed stare. She'd heard a few things from Ino already, but the full version caught her off guard.

"Y-You and Neji-nii-san… Nii-san actually…"

"Steady Hina-chan!" Sakura was laughing out loud as Hinata struggled with imagining her cousin and best friend making out. Ino was biting her pillow to keep from exploding, making Tenten wish she had a camera to photograph the drool stain on the purple pillow.

--

The four girls hung out until around one in the afternoon, when Sakura left to take Sasuke to the park. Tenten was next, saying she'd promised to be home at least once that day and she still had other things to do. Ino tried 'guessing' what those things might be, but Tenten was already out the door and heading towards the school to pick up her car.

Hinata left soon after, thanking Ino and her mother politely and ignoring Ino's comments about blond boys who didn't like being forgotten.

Soon enough, Ino was left alone. She decided boredly to go for a walk. She didn't really think about where she was going until she was there. It was a nice enough street; the houses close enough that you had to know your neighbors, but big enough to be nice.

Her old street. She was actually in front of Shikamaru's house, Chouji's was next door and her old house was across the street. She was wondering if it was worth it to check if either of the boys was home when a spiky head caught her attention. Shikamaru was coming around the side of his house, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Hey! Shikamaru! What's up?"

He looked up quickly, but relaxed as he saw it was Ino. "Avoiding my troublesome mother… Why are you here?"

"Had nothing better to do and my feet carried me here. Want to go on the rest of my walk with me?"

"Sure…" And they started walking. Neither of them talked for a while, until Shikamaru made a weird comment. "Why do girls have to be so troublesome? They say they like a guy, but they can't be with them because of another guy. How hard is it to choose?"

Ino was tempted to laugh and ask what Shikamaru had been doing lately, until she looked over and saw he was dead serious. "Oh! Well, it's possible to like more than one guy, you know? You shouldn't worry though— lots of girls like you. Boys like Lee-san have a harder time with this stuff."

"Girls like me?" Again, Shikamaru was serious and again Ino had to bite back a laugh.

"Yeah stupid, haven't you noticed? Temari-san likes you, and that girl… What's-her-name, from the Science club? She likes you too. And a few others, but those two are the big ones."

"Wow, you call a few girls a victory? And Temari doesn't like me, she turned me down."

Ino glared at her life-long friend. "Oh, shut it Shika! ANY girl liking you is a victory! _I_ used to like you, way back when! And now Temari-san might break up with her boyfriend for you and 

you're too dense to notice it! You should be going to Temari-san right now to sort this out, but you've got your head stuck in the clouds! IDIOT!!"

She crossed her arms and huffed before directing her glare to the ground in front of her. They had stopped walking as she yelled and were now standing the middle of a random street, Shikamaru staring at her with his mouth open.

"Temari-chan might be breaking up with her boyfriend?"

"YES, Mr. So-called-genius! Don't you _talk_ to people?? She'd probably be broken up with him by now if you'd show you were still interested! But no, you've been too busy SULKING! You know what, that settles it."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him back to her house and they got in her car. She drove to where she thought Temari's house was before dropping him off and driving away. As she did, she felt a small sense of pride that she had known something Shikamaru hadn't.

--

Tenten was sitting on her small front porch, flipping through a wilderness survival store's catalog. She stopped at the knife section, reading the descriptions and wondering what each one would feel like in her hand.

She didn't really notice Neji come up until he sat down beside her and tried to read over her shoulder. "Knives? What do you need knives for?"

"Nothing in particular… What're you doing?"

Neji sighed. "I'm here to see you." He felt extremely obvious.

Tenten looked up, surprised. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to…" Neji was feeling a bit awkward; he hadn't thought he'd have to _explain_ it. "Why wouldn't I?"

Tenten gave him an amused smile. "I can't imagine. Have you seen your uncle since we left him standing there last night?"

Neji smirked, "He's acting normally, but I imagine he'll have a talk with Hinata-sama later. About what though, I don't know. I saw Lee-san as well. Things are going well. Gai-sensei is growing his hair out for a wig, but Lee-san is still refusing, saying that it's better he's the bald one than Gai-sensei." They both chuckled.

Tenten looked at Neji and gathered up her courage before shifting a little to lean on him. He gave her a surprised look but didn't say anything.

--

Naruto was finishing lunch (AKA ramen) when Hinata arrived at his house. He gave her a big, bright grin and a bear hug before they went up to his room. As she sat down, he wondered if that had been such a great idea… What do you say to a girl when you're all alone, in your room, with your parents busy with something else?

Hinata was looking around and Naruto mentally kicked himself for the mess his room was in.

Neither of them talked for about five minutes, and then Naruto burst out laughing. "We're pretty weird, aren't we Hinata-chan? Want to play checkers?"

Hinata raised an eyebrow but agreed anyway. Pretty soon they were lying on the floor playing hard-core checkers.

--

Me: Aww… Oh, and 2,126 words. Anyway, SOOOOOO SORRY for the late update!! I went to camp for two weeks and then my computer stopped working! AAAAAHHHH! But I hope the chapter helps, the next one will be coming soon…

Gaara: Herbblade-chan owns nothing, get over it. The story is coming to a close, with lots of fluff next chapter. Neji and Tenten continue their chat, Naruto and Hinata have more checker-y goodness, Shikamaru talks to Temari, and Sasuke and Sakura go to the park! And some OTHER stuff happens! Then the girls have their other sleepover… AHH! It's almost over! The next chapter might not be the last, but it'll be close… DON'T STOP READING NOW!!

Me: Review to get the next chappie up sooner! I like reviews…


	18. Chapter 18

So I've been gone for a while, and it's a short chapter, but guess what?? LAST CHAPTER!!

Lots of random fluff and a surprise Ino pairing thrown in for my own amusement!!

--

Naruto groaned as Hinata smiled shyly and asked him to king her.

Again.

This was her third coronation this game and they were on their eighth game already, and Naruto was losing horribly. He wished someone had warned him Hinata was this good at checkers, but it was fun to find out on his own, in a way. Especially since she was so nice about it, as if just discovering her gift for the first time.

"How do you do that? I'm all focused and I think I know where every piece is, and then one of yours pops up inside my territory! You're almost too good at this game Hinata-chan…"

She smiled again and pointed to one of her black pieces, "That's the advantage of being black over red, they kind of blend in. But your red ones are hard to focus on, I don't know why. Either way what you do is you move a few pieces towards the other side, and get them as close as you can before the person gets nervous about them, then focus on one for a few turns, then move the others for one turn each. By then they're close enough to do some damage, if you still have all of them."

He nodded and tried that strategy, concentrating so hard he unconsciously stuck his tongue out sideways and almost went cross-eyed. But Hinata was expecting it and it was her strategy, so he lost again. He couldn't wait to try it on someone else though. It would probably work well against Kiba…

They stopped playing checkers after that, and lay on the ground in silence for a while. Naruto broke it by asking Hinata if she wanted to go to a ramen place he knew for supper that night. She agreed and he dozed off again, daydreaming of ramen.

--

Sasuke was getting that feeling again. The I-should-be-doing-something-but-I-can't-remember-what-it-was-and-even-if-I-could-I-don't-think-I-could-do-it feeling. He was in another of those perfectly romantic situations (for a girl, he reminded himself sternly) and he wasn't doing anything romantic at all.

Sakura had brought a big grey-and-blue blanket and spread it out, then sat down Indian-style and opened up the big picnic basket. There was an amazing variety of food in there, and Sasuke grabbed a few things.

And that was all. He muttered a thank you, but didn't use the opportunity to sit near Sakura, or to make small talk, or any kind of talk at all. Sakura told him about how she couldn't wait to go back to the coffee shop and help Tenten rig the sound system, and about the movies she'd picked out for the sleepover that night (at that point he couldn't help but think of Naruto's idea to bug Ino's house and listen in, but didn't say anything since there was no way the blond dobe would succeed), and about her classes and her friends and everything else.

And the strange thing was that she didn't seem to mind doing all the talking. She seemed to understand that he'd talk when he wanted to and for now was content to enjoy the peace of the day.

They passed a few lazy hours like that, sometimes talking, sometimes not, sometimes having a real conversation. Then Sakura reluctantly stood up from her lying-down position, saying she had to go and finish getting ready for the sleepover.

He helped her pack and managed to end up carrying everything without her realizing it until she found she had nothing to carry. He allowed himself a smirk as she sighed in exasperation but said nothing and started to walk.

The park was somewhat empty, and Sasuke was forced to remember it was fall, winter was fast approaching.

Sakura seemed to realize this too, because she looked at a bare tree and all the leaves on the ground and sighed. Tenten's hatred of the cold had rubbed off on her a little and she longed for sunshine and green.

She looked over at Sasuke to see him staring back at her. On reflex, she said, "What?"

"You seem oddly sad."

"It's getting closer to winter…"

"So?"

Sakura 'hmph'ed and walked faster, leaving him behind to smirk.

--

Shikamaru stood outside Temari's house, not directly outside her door, just close enough that it was definitely her house he was standing by, wondering what he was supposed to do. He finally just sighed and went up to the door, knocking.

Gaara opened it. "Yes?" He said quietly, raising an eyebrow at Shiakmaru.

"Temari here?"

"Yes. Upstairs and to the left. First door." Gaara stepped aside and let Shikamaru in before shutting the door and heading back to the living room. Shikamaru took a minute to be amazed at Gaara's lack of curiosity before following the younger boy's instructions to Temari's room.

He knocked on that too and was answered by a shocked Temari. "Shikamaru? What are you doing here?" It wasn't a hostile question, just curious and slightly amazed.

"Ino dumped me here to talk to you."

Temari stared for a minute before laughing and motioning for him to follow her into her room. Shikamaru didn't take in the details of the warm room, just plopped down on the chair at her desk. She sat down a little more delicately, on her bed, and looked at him, then shifted her gaze to the wall awkwardly.

Shikamaru cleared his throat. "So how're things with your boyfriend?" He was blissfully unaware of the fact that Ino would have killed him for his tactlessness that he managed to squeeze all into one little question.

"Oh, we're done. He was too territorial." Temari waved her hand as if to show that it was old news. Shikamaru expected to see a flicker of _something_ cross her face, sadness, anger, anything, but it didn't. She was a strange girl, in his book.

For a moment he contemplated why he was there, and realized Temari was probably wondering the same thing.

"So if you and what's-his-name are done, you'd be up for dinner tonight?"

Temari's eyes widened and then her expression softened. "Sure, why not?"

--

Ino paused to contemplate how Shikamaru was doing. Knowing Temari, he was probably fine.

She turned her mind back to her task—installing the best sound system she'd ever laid eyes, much less hands, on. The blonde felt very techy, lying on her back under the counter they served from, installing the control panel.

"I'll have to remember to put labels on all the buttons, so I can kill anyone who messes this up and they won't be able to say they didn't know what they were doing…"

"Always talk to yourself?"

Ino jumped and nearly banged her head on the counter. "_Sai?? _What are you doing here?"

Sai shrugged, "I wanted a muffin, you were still closed. I came in and heard you rambling about murder."

Ino snorted to herself before crawling back beneath the counter. "Hand me the screwdriver if you're going to be here then, I'm almost done and then I'll get you your muffin."

"…Thank you?"

"You're welcome."

--

Neji sighed. "You honestly have _no_ plans for the future?"

Tenten groaned and leaned backwards, "No, _Dad,_ I don't! I'll figure it out when I need to; can we talk about something else?"

"Fine."

Tenten waited a minute for him to continue before groaning again. "That's your cue to say something, Neji-kun."

"Like what?"

"Whatever you want."

"You have to apply for scholarships soon, not to mention how fast normal deadlines are coming up—"

"OK! I'll do it, just stop talking about it… I'm hungry, do you want a hotdog?"

Neji didn't bother to ask why hotdogs, he just nodded and got that warm feeling as Tenten beamed and jumped up.

--

"Spill. Now."

Hinata was blushing and shifting her gaze around as her friends all stared at her intently. There wasn't a sympathetic face to be found, so she sighed. "We played checkers…"

"For four _hours??_" Ino's mouth was open and she looked almost horrified that any one she knew would spend hours with their_ boyfriend _playing _checkers._ "_Why??" _

Hinata looked down and muttered, "It was fun…"

Sakura shrugged and shoved Ino lightly to get her to stop glaring at Hinata. "Don't worry about it Ino, all Sasuke and I did was sit around at the park. Of course, we can't all have fun feeding boys muffins—"

"What?!"

"I walked by the shop. I saw you and Sai, and you laughing and feeding him blueberry muffins. He didn't seem all that depressed about the situation either, now that I think about it."

Sakura laughed as Ino's mouth opened and closed, making the blonde look like a fish. Tenten and Hinata joined in the laughter. Ino 'hmph'ed and turned her glare to Tenten. "And what have _you_ been doing all day?"

"Hanging out with Neji," Tenten replied easily. Ino 'hmph'ed again.

"Well, all in all, this has turned out rather well, don't you think?" Sakura got the gleam in her eye that told them all a friendship-moment as upon them.

Tenten rolled her eyes and stuck her hand out towards them all. "Let's just get it over with."

Ino's hand smacked down onto the brunette's followed by Sakura's in a similar fashion and Hinata's landing daintily on top.

"'Kunoichi' on five!" Tenten rolled her eyes at Sakura's enthusiasm as the pinkette started counting down.

When she reached one, they would all shout it, and then more than likely fall over laughing. But as the countdown continued, Tenten decided that _this _was the real friendship-moment and fell over laughing on the spot.

--

Me: Well that was pretty lame…

Gaara: Yeah… But I don't have to say anything other than 'do not own' so that's good.

Me: Yeah… Thanks to all of you, I hope you liked it and you'll be waiting for my next, hopefully bigger and better, story!! YOU ROCK!!


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